PITT FEATURES TWO OF TOP 15 PLAYERS

ESPN's Joe Schaad just released his list of the Top 100 college football players for 2010, and it should make Pitt Panther fans smile. The Wannstache's team is well represented, with two of the top 15 and three of the top 35: RB Dion Lewis (9th), DE Greg Romeus (15th), and WR Jonathan Baldwin (34th). For the record, that's more than reigning champ Alabama (who had two in the top 35) and every other program in the country.

For argument's sake, Penn State had two players on the list: RB Evan Royster (45th) and LB Michael Mauti (74th). West Virginia placed just one player on the list, RB Noel Devine (13th). And Big East champion Cincinnati was represented by QB Zach Collaros (51st) and WR Vidal Hazelton (95th).

In reality, these rankings mean nothing other than the fact that expectations are going to be very high for the next edition of the Panthers. They have two of the most electrifying stars in the country on offense and one of the most elite defensive players to boot. It's not a three-man game, but Pitt certainly has the star potential that a team needs to make a run at a BCS game. Whether they can live up to the hype or not is going to be the question that ultimately defines this team.

Joe Schad's 2010 Top 100 College Football Players To Watch [ESPN.com]

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JIM COLONY'S THOUGHTS ON PITT HOOPS

Jim Colony has always been one of my favorite Pittsburgh sports media personalities, and he was kind enough to share his thoughts with us this morning on the state of Pitt basketball following Monday night's game:

Thoughts on Pitt Hoops
by Jim Colony

As great as Saturday afternoon’s win was at Syracuse, Monday night’s at Cincinnati may have been more impressive. Yancy Gates is a man, Lance Stephenson is a lottery pick, and Deonta Vaughn is as explosive as almost any Big East guard and, with the game on the line, they did next to nothing … unless you want to credit Vaughn for taking the lay-ups he was basically given. Cincinnati may have shot 49 percent but, for the most part, Pitt’s defense – and rebounding - was very good when it mattered.

Speaking of which, it’s nice to see Jamie Dixon – while maybe not embracing a zone defense - recognizing that it’s okay to mix it up every once in awhile … like when Stephenson started going off toward the end of the half. (Hey, it works against his team, right?) So, let’s take it a step further. Since Pitt is now smaller, at least with certain line-ups … i.e. Gibbs/Dixon/Wannamaker or Gibbs/Woodall/Dixon … the zone of choice might often be a 3-2.

While obviously the Panther would be better had DeJuan Blair stuck around, at least Gary McGhee and Dante Taylor don’t commit that stupid illegal screen 35 feet away from the basket at the beginning of each half (although as I had jotted this down, McGhee got called for one). McGhee still has his limitations, but not as many as I had thought coming into the season, and Taylor has steadily improved against better competition.

Ashton Gibbs is absolute money and now he and, maybe more importantly, his teammates know it. Gibbs reminds me of Sidney Crosby (I know it’s a reach, but hang on). Like Crosby, Gibbs has made a concerted effort to get better where he needed to get better. Just as Sid now takes more shots, wins face-offs and can score in shootouts … Gibbs, known as a stationary shooter, worked on his game off the dribble and it’s become a part of his arsenal, when needed. He is also perfecting the lost art of using screens properly to give himself just enough room to get off a 15-footer or get fouled (even though Burr, Kitts, et al missed 2 such calls in Cincinnati). Plus, his coaches are thrilled at his improvement on defense and rebounding. Still, his main asset is shooting and, as other teams go about taking that away, it opens thing up for his teammates in the paint.

But maybe the real reason for Pitt’s emergence is the obvious one - the return of Gilbert Brown and Jermaine Dixon. Brown is a nice X-factor who is valuable off the bench since he can adapt to the situation at hand. He is miscast as a PF but can jump with taller opponents and also expose them with his quickness. Brown’s best asset is if opponents go zone and cheat out on Gibbs, he can hit the foul line jumper or, if contested, drive and/or dish. Dixon, now healthy, is emerging as a Jaron Brown/Julius Page-type lock-down defender who can guard anyone 6-7 and under. Dixon’s penchant for the 3-pointer can be trying at times (he’s better off as a slasher) but the trade-off is worth it.

As always, Jamie Dixon (and his staff) must be given full credit … even though Dixon’s Time Out calls after made baskets continue to mystify me. Nonetheless, while I’m not sure the Panthers are the 23rd or 26th best team in the country (and they’ll move up I the polls with no game this weekend), this is clearly a team on the rise … and a team that has a chance to accomplish a lot more than most of us probably expected.

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PITT CRACKS THE TOP 25

Get those expectations fired up again, as the Pitt Panthers have re-entered the AP Top 25 today. The 12-2 Panthers, who upset #5 Syracuse at the Carrier Dome on Saturday, are ranked #26 in the ESPN/USA Today poll. Pitt is also ranked #17 by RealTimeRPI.com. The scary part is the fact that the 17th ranking is just sixth-best among Big East teams, and that West Virginia, of all teams, is ranked #1.

If you haven't seen the Panthers in action yet, you'll have another chance on Monday night, as they travel to Cincinnati for an appearance on ESPN's Big Monday at 7 PM. Following tonight's game, the Panthers will have some serious time to rest before battling UConn on January 13.

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TODAY'S HEADLINES

Hines will give it a go: #86 is going to attempt to play against the Browns in the bitter Cleveland cold. That's always good for a sore hamstring. But I'd still take Hines at 10% over Limas Sweed at 1,000%.

Also inactive for the Black and Gold on Thursday: third QB Charlie Batch, CB Keenan Lewis, RB Carey Davis, S Troy Polamalu, G Kraig Urbik, OT Tony Hills, DT Ra'Shon Harris and DE Nick Eason. [PFT]

Pirates dive into Rule 5: Meet your newest Pirate project, soon-to-be 26-year-old John Raynor, last of the Florida Marlins organization. The speedy outfielder batted .257 for Class AAA New Orleans last season, with six HR, 24 doubles, two triples, 36 RBI and 19 SB.

Baseball America named Raynor the fastest baserunner in the Class AA Southern League in 2008. The Pirates must pay Florida $50,000 for his rights, and if he does not stay on the major league roster all year, he will be available to the Marlins for $25,000. [PBC Blog]

One controversial banner: When the ACLU has to get involved so a Steelers Country banner can stay up, it just might be a sign of the apocalypse. [PG]

Jason Bay headed back to the NL? J-Bay is being hotly pursued by the New York Mets, who have reportedly offered him a four-year deal worth $65 million. The Red Sox, Angels, and Mariners have also been mentioned as possible homes for Bay in 2010 and beyond. A return to the Pirates is not on the agenda. [SI]

Brian Kelly to ND: In three seasons at Cincinnati, Brian Kelly went 34-6 and won two conference championships, so it goes without saying that others in the Big East have no problem with him taking the vacant Notre Dame job. He'll inherit a team that's gone 16-21 the past three seasons, and to top it off, they're losing Jimmy Clausen and Golden Tate to the NFL. At least their fans have proven that they're patient and rational. [WPXI]

Looking back at a decade of baseball: SI is continuing their "best/worst of the decade" series, and now it's baseball's turn. Somehow, the Pirates avoid the "Worst Franchise" tag, which went to Kansas City. But we did lay claim to the best New Stadium (PNC Park) and a former Pirate who takes home the Biggest Villain title, Barry Lamar Bonds. [SI]

A Burgh accent gets national exposure: Mt. Lebanon grad Gillian Jacobs is on the NBC show Community, and she discusses her Pittsburgh roots (and Bret Michaels' accent) at the 6:30 mark of this recent clip from The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson:

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HOW QUICKLY THINGS CHANGE

Not so long ago, the Pitt Panthers were 9-1, ranked in the Top 10, and looking at the possibility of a BCS bowl game and the massive payday that goes with it. A nationally-televised win against Notre Dame had Wannymania running wild. Fake mustaches were quickly replacing Polamalu wigs as the accessory of choice among Pittsburgh football fans. And just like that, it's all gone. Gone.

Saturday's loss to Cincinnati was a microcosm of Pitt's season: things look incredibly promising, and in the blink of an eye, you're wondering where and when it all went wrong. Instead of celebrating the second BCS appearance in school history, we're left wondering where to place this on the ever-growing list of crushing moments in Pittsburgh sports history.

To say this was a bad couple of days for the Pitt athletic department is the understatement of understatements. First, Foge Fazio loses his fight with cancer. A truly sad moment for Pitt Nation. Then, the Panther basketball team, so dominant for the better part of a decade, is part of the worst first half in the shot-clock era, and against New Hampshire, no less. To complete the hat trick of misery, the Panthers gifted us with a 21-point blown first half lead at home in losing the Big East Championship. After this, I may start a petition to move all championship games away from Heinz Field, because they usually don't end well (with one obvious exception).

Fingers are being pointed in all directions. Dave Wannstedt. Frank Cignetti. The refs. The holder. The secondary. The quarterback. Special teams. It's a natural reaction. When a sure thing combusts in such dramatic fashion, it's preferable to correct the problem, so it doesn't happen again. But the sheer volume of possible scapegoats should prove only that this was a team loss. It's not any one of these individuals' fault. But collectively, this is more than enough to explain how the Panthers cost themselves a conference championship, millions of dollars, and a month of national media hype. In the end, the Panthers beat themselves as much as Cincinnati beat them. With a list that long, do you really deserve to win a championship game?

I feel bad for the players. I feel bad for Dave Wannstedt. I feel bad for the school. But the fact of the matter is that Pitt was the third-best team in the Big East this season. They couldn't beat Cincinnati and they couldn't beat West Virginia. Sure, they were close games, but winning and losing is strictly black and white. There is no gray area in college football. There are no ties.

The result on Saturday might have been just a tad easier to swallow if this team wasn't so close to breaking through this season. But that just complicated things. When you look at Pitt's three losses this year, you can only shake your head in disbelief. A blown lead against NC State. One long Noel Devine run against WVU. A missed PAT against Cincinnati. Each loss was more devastating and disappointing than the next.

Pitt had numerous great moments on Saturday. Dion Lewis was mentioned in the same breath as Barry Sanders (even if it was Matt Millen doing the mentioning). Jonathan Baldwin continued to amaze the country with his knack for the big play. And Heinz Field rocked for a Pitt game like it's rarely rocked in the past. No doubt about it, this program is definitely headed in the right direction. Unfortunately for everyone emotionally involved with the Panthers, they're in the midst of some serious growing pains. After all, learning how to take the next step is no small task.

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THIS ONE HURTS

They got 228 yards of offense from Dion Lewis, who touched the ball an amazing 52 times. At one point, they had a 21-point lead. But in the end, the Pitt Panthers' BCS hopes were killed by a missed extra point. I'll have additional thoughts later, but for now, please grieve below.

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TODAY'S HEADLINES

Arnold Harrison has a new gig - The special teams sacrificial lamb is now a Cleveland Brown. It's the second bit of horrible news he's received this week. [PFT]

The Penguins lose another player to injury. Jay McKee, who blocks shots like a hockey version of Shaq, is out two to four weeks with an infected finger. Honestly, I feel like a broken record at this point. [Empty Netters]

Sidney Crosby is carrying the Olympic torch. Captain Crosby is carrying the Olympic torch in his hometown of Halifax, Nova Scotia, around 6:30 PM tonight. How many people have carried the Cup and the Torch in the same year? [WPXI]

Kickoff time set for Pitt-Cincinnati. The virtual Big East Championship game will have a noon start on December 5, and will be televised nationally by ABC. Hopefully this one turns out better than the last big Pittsburgh vs. Cincinnati game held at Heinz Field. [KDKA]

Your Big East Conspiracy Theory of the Day: Joe Starkey wisely draws comparisons between last Friday's Cincy-WVU game and 2007's Backyard Brawl on the topic of very shaky officiating. Translation: be prepared for some obviously slanted calls in Cincinnati's favor on December 5. [Trib]

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PITT STILL ABSENT FROM TOP 25

That celebrated 3-0 start for the Pitt Panthers apparently hasn't impressed voters in this week's AP poll, because for a third consecutive week, they're on the outside looking in. In fact, The Fighting Wannys sit at #29, two spots lower than where they found themselves last week.

Standing between the Panthers and the elusive Top-25 ranking: Missouri, Georgia Tech (which was humiliated by Miami last week) and Auburn, which upended WVU 41-30 last night, intercepting Jarrett Brown four times in the process.

The Big East leader continues to be the Cincinnati Bearcats, who went on the road and beat Oregon State on Saturday 28-18, holding heralded RB Jacquizz Rodgers to 73 yards rushing. As a reward, they have moved up to #14 in this week's poll, from #17 last week. The conference's third undefeated team, South Florida, just took a major hit with the loss of QB Matt Grothe for the duration of the season with a torn ACL, and just in time for their game against Florida State next week.

As for Penn State, they stood pat at 5, despite the major upset of #3 USC. I guess the voters don't put much stock in a home win over Temple. The Nittany Lions have a big game coming up on Saturday night at 8 PM against Iowa on ABC, but until then, Lion Nation will have to live with merely being a Top-5 team.

AP Top 25 [ESPN.com]

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'BRING ON U-CONN"

In case you missed it, Pitt turned in another dominating performance in an 85-69 win over the Cincinnati Bearcats yesterday, which means (as the crowd reminded us) that top-ranked UConn is next on the schedule. It couldn't happen at a better time, because Pitt is playing their best basketball and sitting at 22-2.

Levance Fields continued his unreal play with 13 assists and no turnovers, as he continues to lead the nation in assist:turnover ratio. Fields has 56 assists and just six turnovers over the past five games. To boot, Pitt shot 67.4% from the floor, a number that tied a school record set in a 2006 tournament game against Kent State.

But the highlight of highlights was when Sam Young threw down the windmill jam shown above, which can also be seen in the video below. Ironically, it happened on the same night as the NBA dunk contest. Maybe Young will end up in the contest opposite Lebron, who pledged to participate, next year?

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WANNSTACHE STOCK IS UP

The roller coaster also known as the Pitt Panthers moved up to #21 in this week's AP Top 25 after a 41-7 laugher against Louisville at Heinz Field on Saturday. Hats off to Dave Wannstedt and company for, you know, WINNING a winnable home game. Pitt's next opponent, the Cincinnati Bearcats, are #22 following a dramatic overtime win versus West Virginia, who dropped out of the poll this week, again proving what a great hire Bill Stewart turned out to be.

Penn State had their BCS problem solved by Iowa last night, and subsequently fell to 7th. The Lions' remaining schedule includes a home meeting with Indiana and a road matchup with #18 Michigan State. I'm sure the fact that they lost to a team that Pitt beat rubs a little extra salt into the wound.

The newest CBS Sportsline bowl projections have Pitt going to the Orange Bowl and facing projected ACC Champion and Butch Davis-coached North Carolina. I think that scenario would probably satisfy most Panther fans, no?

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PITTSBURGH HAS NO INTEREST IN YOUR RED RIVER SHOOTOUT

Texas QB Colt McCoy - no relation to Shady

Hoping to watch the huge Texas-Oklahoma game on WTAE this afternoon, Pittsburgh? Me too. Unfortunately, the game is not being broadcast in our city in lieu of the highly anticipated Rutgers-Cincinnati tilt. That's OK, the game's being broadcast on ESPN360.com. I love watching sports on a laptop. Let me go try and watch it there. What's that? My internet provider doesn't offer ESPN360.com? Fantastic. What next, there's no Pitt game this week, either?