I have supported Pitt football head coach Dave Wannestedt since they hired him. I supported him after being shellacked in his debut to Notre Dame at home. I supported him after the 3-0 debacle in the Sun Bowl. I supported him last year in all 3 of Pitt’s losses when they blew late 4th quarter leads. I supported him this year after I drove 3 hours to watch his team get embarrassed on national television to a very average Miami team.
I no longer support him. He has to go.
There is no reason that Pitt should have ZERO BCS bowl appearances since Dave Wannestedt has taken over. If you recall he took over for a guy that had just taken the Panthers to their lone BCS bowl game in Walt Harris, who took Pitt to the Fiesta Bowl in 2004. Pitt has lead recruiting rankings in 3 of the 6 recruiting classes that Wannestedt has put together. They finished in the top half of the conference in the other 3 seasons. Yet, with all that talent, he has gone to just 2 bowl appearances in 5 seasons. He has lost to teams like, Navy, Ohio University and Bowling Green. He has gone 2-4 against Rutgers. He has simply not lived up to expectations.
Nobody likes a coaching change. Dave Wannestedt is a great front man for the university and the Pitt football team. However, he is not getting it done on the field on a weekly basis. It is time for the university to create a new position in the athletic department, something like Assistant Athletic Director to the Football Program, and go out and hire a big name coach that can take the Panthers to the Promised Land.
The guy to do this? Chris Petersen, the front man for the Boise State Broncos. I know it sounds unrealistic, but hear me out.
Chris Petersen is just the type of guy that Pitt fans want. A younger coach, check. Petersen is just 46 years old and has been a head coach for the last five years. An offensive minded coach, check. Petersen is the guy that calls the play for that high-speed, high-paced Boise offense that ranks 4th in the nation in yards per game and 2nd in points per game. A big name guy, check, is there a bigger name out there when it comes to young and up-and-coming college coaches?
Is he a long shot? Yes, but he is exactly the guy that Pitt needs to go after if they want to be a legit football program. If you do not want to be a legit football program, which is fine, we will take out Top 5 basketball program, just tell the fan base so we can cancel our season tickets and find something else to do on Saturdays next fall.
THE REALLY BIG EAST
Texas Christian University announced today that they would be joining the Big East conference in all sports in 2012.
Let me repeat that, Texas Christian University announced today that they will be joining the Big East conference in all sports in 2012.
They were not referring to the Texas Big East, the actual Big East conference. The same conference that began in 1979, when Syracuse was the school furthest to the west and Georgetown was the southern most school.
Someone please explain to me how this works? Yes, I understand that TCU certainly strengthens the Big East football conference, but how does it help the rest of the conference? How long before the schools complain about the cost of sending the women’s tennis team to Dallas for their annual match? And tell me what this does for the basketball conference. The conference that is widely regarded as the best conference in the country year in and year out, how does adding TCU help there? How is adding a team that has already lost to Rider and UMASS this season going to help the strength of the basketball conference? The Horned Frogs went 5-11 last year in the Mountain West Conference last year, how do you think they will do when they are playing Villanova and Syracuse week in and week out? TCU has not played in the NCAA Tournament since 1997. Yeah that is great for the basketball conference. South Florida and DePaul are jumping for joy that they will have a team to beat.
I understand that the Big East wants to add teams for football, by why TCU? Don’t give me the old, “they need them to save face for their automatic BCS bid.” That is complete BS. Look at this write up by Chadd Cripe, from the Idaho Statesman about how the BCS will determine the future automatic bid teams. As you can see, the Big East is safe. Actually, the ACC is behind the Big East in both of the top key rankings and the Big Ten trails the Big East in one of them too. So, as I mentioned, the Big East is safe with their BCS bid, so why add TCU?
If I were the commissioner of the Big East, which I am available for the job if they are looking to improve the conference, I would add Villanova and Navy. It is not difficult to see how these two fit in and help the conference. Villanova is already in the Big East for every other sport and they are continuously a top 1-AA team and could make the leap rather easily. As for Navy they fit because they are an independent in football right now. That means that they have another conference already for all other sports. They compete in the Patriot League for all other sports, which fits them perfectly. By joining the Big East in football, it would still give them enough open weeks to play their rivalries games each year like Army, Air Force and Notre Dame as well as tie them into some bigger and better bowls. They also have a nation wide fan base obviously, which would only help the other Big East teams.
TCU has no place in the Big East. This move will be the beginning of the end of the Big East conference. A 17-team conference does not work. Does the conference go to 18? It is already too big, why are they adding schools. Does this mean they are going to drop some of the basketball only schools that make no sense (hello Marquette and DePaul, I mean you!)
As I said, TCU has no place in the Big East, but don’t worry the Big East won’t be around very long anymore after this.
This may just be the best thing about TCU. And honestly, ever since Miami left for the ACC, hot cheerleaders is something that has been missing in the Big East.
