Big Lead Sports Bar

11/29/2009

PITT SLIPS IN THE RANKINGS



The new college football rankings are out, and Pitt did not fall too far after losing on a last-second field goal to West Virginia on Friday night.

In the all-important BCS rankings, Pitt fell six notches to #15 after spending the last two weeks in the #9 spot. But as we all know, the Panthers' season basically hinges on their Saturday matchup at Heinz Field against Cincinnati for all the Big East marbles.

Leapfrogging the Panthers while inactive were the 10-2 Penn State Nittany Lions, who now find themselves at #11 with a completed regular season. The Lions are looking at a potential Capital One Bowl contest against LSU or perhaps a BCS appearance in the Fiesta Bowl against undefeated Boise State.

Meanwhile, the WVU Mountaineers, now 8-3 with only a Saturday game at Rutgers remaining on their slate, crept into the BCS top 25 at #23. The 'Eers are now the hot pick to represent the Big East in the Gator Bowl against Miami, due to the fact that many believe Pitt will lose on Saturday and fall to the Meineke Car Care Bowl on December 26. That game, which pits the ACC #5, 6, or 7 against the Big East #3, is played in Charlotte, NC, and the current opponent slotted to face the Panthers would be Bobby Bowden and the Florida State Seminoles.

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2 comments:

Adam said...

Pitt vs. Penn State in Fiesta is more likely than PSU vs. Boise. The Fiesta Bowl loves Iowa, and they'd need a compelling reason to choose Penn State over Iowa.

That compelling reason is Pitt, so as you might guess, I'll be rooting for the Panthers this weekend.

Should Pitt lose, I'll be rooting for a Clemson upset of Georgia Tech to open the door for Miami to enter the top 14.

But Penn State's best scenario would be for Oregon to lose, possibly opening the door to the Orange Bowl, where we're more coveted.

There's a full breakdown of scenarios here:
http://www.blackshoediaries.com/2009/11/29/1177457/the-endgame

...but if you're incapable of reading that much, know that for Penn State

1. And Oregon loss with chalk the rest of the way is best.
2. Pitt or Miami in the BCS picture is next.
3. We're screwed otherwise.

BURGH08 said...

Nobody cares who you are rooting for Adam.

As for the blog entry, I hate college football at this time of year. Penn State nor Pitt deserve to go to BCS bowls. Many of the bowl matchups are more of a financial situation, which though I know is neccessary, doesn't provide many fascinating matchups.

Pitt won't beat Cincy, but even if they did, losing to an average WVU team is unacceptable.