Notebook 7/26

Jonathan Baldwin may be the best wideout in the Big East, but are Pitt's receivers the best in the conference:

When the Panthers are not handing off to speedster running back Dion Lewis, they will be passing to the 6-foot-5, 225-pound Jon Baldwin at wide receiver. Baldwin leads a unit that has potential, but lacks real experience. Baldwin is a genuine threat downfield, and defenses doubling him will take some of the pressure off the new guys. Last year Baldwin averaged almost twenty yards per catch. Two new guys on campus are expected to make an immediate impact catching the ball for Pitt. Drew Carswell and Salath Williams should be two of the best freshmen receivers in the nation.

Best freshmen receivers in the nation? I don't know about that. Isn't it a bit much to say two of the nation's best will land on the same team...espeially when we're talking about freshmen? And I was surprised to not see any mention of Todd Thomas who I don't expect to redshirt.

Meanwhile, looking ahead to the season, ESPN.com's Brian Bennett pulls out what he believes is Pitt's key stretch:

Key stretch: at Connecticut (Nov. 11), at South Florida (Nov. 20), West Virginia (Nov. 26), at Cincinnati (Dec. 4). 

Considering that span is more than half of the Big East season, I'll narrow it down a bit.  For Pitt, it will come down to the two final games - vs. West Virginia and at Cincinnati.  The Panthers start off the conference season fairly lightly and even a loss to UCONN or South Florida alone won't be enough to derail their championship hopes.  However, wins against their final two opponents might be needed.

More Big Ten talk?  Eh, I'm not going there.  I will say this, though.  I'm mildly disappointed that there hasn't been more talk about Big East expansion lately.  That's not to say the conference is done discussing the possibility.  I'm sure it's just happening between closed doors.  Still, I hope the Big East is aggressively coming up with options because this expansion thing ain't going away in the long run.

NBE has a pretty short look at the upcoming Big East women's basketball season and doesn't see big things for Pitt.

And I normally don't discuss recruiting misses, but here's a mention on one only because the kid was local.  He chose Virginia over several schools including Pitt.

Big East Network Part II

So I first mentioned this a few weeks back. Didn't give it much thought since, other than to again ask myself WHY it couldn't happen.

But now, it appears the idea is real:

Paul Tagliabue, the former commissioner of the National Football League who is now working as a consultant for the Big East Conference, says the 16-team conference is not standing pat while discussion continues nationwide on the future of the college sports landscape.

To that end, Tagliabue is advising the Big East on its television rights. One option would be for the Big East to follow the example of the Big Ten and form its own network.

He said it was too early to say whether the Big East would go that route.

"A lot of what is being discussed has to be explored quietly and in depth," he said.

And as I also pointed out in that initial article, the Big East's reach is pretty significant:

The Big East also would have a bigger reach. Seven members of the conference are located in the top 12 media markets in the country. And 12 members are located in the top 34. That covers more than a quarter of all U.S. markets, the largest coverage of any conference in the country.

Look, I'm not saying this is a slam dunk. I merely brought it up because it seems foolish to me that the Big Ten is the only conference that can have its own network. I think eventually you'll see all major conferences with their own network. Just look at how sports programming has grown. ESPN started in 1979 and sat as the only round-the-clock sports channel for a while. But now, 30 years later, you've got FOUR ESPNs, ESPN360/ESPN3, Fox Sports, CBS College Sports, the Big Ten Network, and the like.

And it's easy to sit back and laugh, focusing on the Big East's inability to show quality football games. Fine. But look at the basketball games that could be showcased? And trust me, I've seen some pretty bad Big Ten matchups on their network along with the host of team features and minor sports including college baseball, which happens to be on right now.

What I like is that the conference is thinking big:

Could Big East sports alone be enough to entice cable subscribers? Maybe not. But Marinatto says the league has access to "other alliances that could drive that concept." He declined to give specifics, but when I asked him if by "alliances" he meant other college sports, pro sports or even entertainment programming, he said, "all of the above."

"Because we're sitting where we are in the Northeast corridor, we have people from our schools who are involved in the business world who are working at the right places," he said. "Maybe that can help create some partnerships that would make us unique."

Could you envision a Big East sports and entertainment network that includes not only league games but also concerts, Broadway musicals and Major League and NBA games from cities like Philadelphia and Washington D.C.? Who knows. Marinatto said "everything is on the table."

The question is, is it too late? And while I like some of the thoughts being thrown out there in theory, it almost seems to me as if these are more pipe dreams that actual living, breathing possibilities.

One thing I'll point out is as a sidenote to Paul Tagliabue's quote about the conference's study of a potential network needing to be 'explored quietly and in depth.' I agree with that, but I think it also needs to be done fairly quickly. Depending on what rumors you believe, the Big Ten is either on the doorstep ready to knock or at the very least, on the way over. It seems at least one Big East team could be invited and it could end up being three. The Big East has to realize that it's likely any invited team would accept, with the exception of Notre Dame. Since that invitation could come quickly, a plan needs to be assembled and distributed to the member schools even quicker.

A promise of a network likely will still not be enough for schools to stay. But if the conference can somehow make the unbelievably fast turnaround of getting a network deal secured with guaranteed payouts, that might be a start for securing the conference's future. Even if the conference lost some schools to Big East expansion, could a Big East network be enough to lure a couple of other teams away from the ACC or elsewhere?

Maybe.

Top 100 Prospects of 2011

Tom Lemming has a look at the top 100 football prospects of 2011. It's still really early, but nearly 40 have committed verbally and no Big East school has landed even one.

At some point, you've got to wonder if the Big Ten expansion issue is going to negatively affect recruiting. I think it would be foolish to say that it wouldn't.

Obligatory Expansion Update

As I've said before, trying to steer clear of this for the most part because it's still in the rumors stage. That said, it's been a while since I took a look around the Big Ten stuff, so here's some thoughts on the stuff that's out there.

Okay, so we all know Big Ten expansion is likely coming. Right? Well, while the talk has focused on it happening, it's easy to forget that maybe it won't.

I know, I don't believe it won't, either.

The talk is of course not dying down and Brian Bennett of ESPN.com looks at some teams the Big East may consider admitting if the conference is purged. As we all know, the options aren't all that attractive. Not terrible once you bypass the name value, just not great. Brian gives his top five, but I outlined a few other options before.

The Trib had an article today about the Big Ten expanding its footprint. Again, nothing new here and there's the usual stuff about Pitt bringing nothing new to the table.

Jay Paterno thinks rivalries will be hurt by expansion. I guess that's true to a degree, but come on. How would playing Pitt instead of Indiana be a bad thing? And Penn State has already been playing Syracuse pretty regularly. I have a hard time believing missing out on someone like Minnesota would be really all that big of a deal. Illinois? Northwestern? I don't know if they're strong rivalries for Penn State. If the league expands to 14 or 16, you might lose 1-2 fairly solid rivalry games with teams like Wisconsin, Michigan State, or Iowa. But you'd still be gaining new rivalries, so I don't know if necessarily buy his argument.

I do, however, think he has a point about what to do with the big three of Penn State, Michigan, and Ohio State. You can't realistically put them all in one division unless you really brought in some heavy hitters on the other side such as a Notre Dame or to lesser degrees Nebraska and Pitt.

Meanwhile, could it be true that the Big East isn't the only conference that should have concerns about survival? Here's a writer who thinks the Big East isn't the answer for the Big Ten:

In my opinion the Big East is not a threat; if I were running the Big Ten I would want them to stay intact. They have some very good football programs and some great basketball universities, but why would I want to break them up?

It is not like The Northeast is a College Football hotbed, it is an area dominated by pro sports. Especially in the NYC area. WV and Pitt are very good programs but WV is not a member of the AAU, and the market share Pitt could bring is mostly held by Penn State. The only thing going for that area is TV sets, but nothing that really drives the needle, Rutgers really? I believe Delany should only threaten the demise of the Big East to force ND into the fold.

Personally, I think he's really naive about the NY/NJ market issue. That's perhaps the largest issue at hand in this whole expansion thing and he seemingly brushes it under the rug.

Gregg Doyel over at sportsline.com thinks that the Big Ten needs to essentially 'go big or go home':

Anything less than Notre Dame or Texas, and the Big Ten would be expanding, and demolishing the NCAA infrastructure, for no good reason

. I really like Doyel, and there's something to that. But again, he's another example of perhaps missing the issue at hand - the New York and New Jersey market. It comes down to how can the Big Ten expand its reach and that market is something I think they heavily covet. Further, Notre Dame isn't likely to join and Texas would be a travel nightmare for teams like Penn State or Rutgers.

Pat Forde of ESPN.com lays out his opinions on expansion and says the best thing to do would be to simply add one team:

So that leaves the 12-team option, Jim. Not the sexiest or the boldest move. But the best move. Go grab one school and get yourself on even footing with the other power brokers in college sports.

Missouri offers proximity and two large TV markets (St. Louis and Kansas City). Rutgers offers the window into New York City, and something of an Eastern ally to Penn State. Nebraska offers the most football cachet.

This would obviously be the best thing the Big East could hope for. And while 16 teams may be the best thing for Pitt, it might not necessarily be a good thing for the Big Ten.

The Big Ten fans, of course, have mixed feelings.

Then there's the ugly issue of teams being left out. Could it be that Cincinnati may be one of those, due to Ohio State?

Whatever happens, I just wish it would happen.

More Basketball Thoughts on the Big Ten

On the basketball side, Jamie Dixon continues to express his thoughts about joining the Big Ten:

“I think tomorrow we’ll be in the Big East,” he said. “That’s what I believe. Do I think it will be the same for the next 100 years? Probably not. It’s probably going to change somewhat. We’re going to be in a great situation. Looking at our situation academically, the university where it stands as an AAU institution, as a highly ranked academic university, where our athletic programs are, and our commitment by our administration, I know we’re going to be in a good situation in a good conference, in a power conference, and we’re going to continue to be a power player in the NCAA.

“I can’t tell you exactly what teams will be on our schedule five years from now, but we’ll be playing some pretty good teams,” he said.

Dixon won’t be leading the campaign to leave the Big East.

“We’re in the best conference in the country for basketball, and our conference in football is getting better and better,” he said. “There’s not a lot of complaints coming from us. If there’s changes, there’s changes. We have the administration in the background to make the adjustments, and we will.”

Meanwhile, voice of the Panthers, Bill Hillgrove, weighs in:

“They should accept the invitation,” Hillgrove said. “But we don’t know where it’s coming from. Will it come from the Big Ten? Will it come from the ACC? Or will they stay in the Big East and will it survive? I hope they stay, because the Big East this past year proved itself as the best basketball conference ever. And football has proven the fact that it can survive even the escapes of the Miamis, Boston Colleges and Virginia Techs. Can they survive this next earthquake? That’s the question.”

So is he saying they should stay or go? Color me confused.

But back to Dixon. I understand Dixon's concerns and I think they're genuine. Pitt, in my opinion, would likely lose at least a little in recruiting and would need to start from scratch to develop new rivalries. Gone would be the games at MSG.

But would it be all bad?

Of course not.

The Big Ten is not the Big East in terms of basketball, but teams like Michigan State, Ohio State, Michigan, Purdue, etc. make it a very good league. Now add Pitt and perhaps a Syracuse or Missouri to the mix and it may turn into the best league during some seasons.

Plus, Pitt is far enough east that it could have the best of both worlds to some degree. They have a long history in NYC and the east coast and could still recruit there, while also recruiting in the midwest to kids that would want to play in the Big Ten. Eventually, I think the pipelines to the east may disappear, but Pitt's history should keep them open for at least a bit. If Pitt is able to take that next step and get to a Final Four, then that can only help.

And of course, there's the money. More money doesn't just mean that football will benefit. All programs would. That means more money to pay Dixon and more to pay assistants.

Then to a much lesser degree, you've got the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, which could Pitt in some great matchups against teams such as North Carolina and Duke.

I understand Dixon's concerns, but a move wouldn't be all bad for basketball.

A Final Word on the New Recruits

Despite all the rumors swirling, Gary Nova wasn't scared off by the whole Big Ten Expansion issue and how it might affect Pitt:

"Pitt is a great school and a great program," Nova said. "We can compete with anybody, whether it is in the Big Ten or Big East or anywhere else so, really, Pitt will be fine no matter what happens. I'm not really worried about that at all."

This is precisely what I've been saying time and again. While it's nice to stir ourselves into a panic, and while Pitt may be financially better off with a move to the Big Ten, I really think they will be fine no matter what. Pitt brings enough to the table that they will land somewhere in a major conference. Of course Pitt wants to place itself in the best possible position, but I don't see a scenario where they can't get into a BCS conference.

And I love his attitude and the fact that he comes from a winning program:

The 6-foot-2, 205-pounder passed for 1,668 yards with 23 touchdowns and three interceptions as a junior in leading New Jersey powerhouse Don Bosco Prep to an undefeated season and 12th state championship.

"I'm a leader, and I find a way to make plays," Nova said. "I can run. I can throw. The most important thing is to find a way to win games. You can have the strongest arm or be the fastest, but if you don't win games, it doesn't matter."

Meanwhile, Artie Rowell discusses his height, or lack thereof, for the position:

"His credentials are exceptional, with his NFL experience," said Rowell, a three-year starter on both sides of the ball who has a 3.7 grade-point average. "A lot of schools turned me down because I'm 6-2, but he embraced that. He's won with guys my size. He tells me it's not how tall you are but how good you can block people.

"I have good feet, and I think I play exceptionally hard. I go to the whistle. I get after it. That's what fits me with Pitt. That's how their offensive line plays. They're a bunch of hard-nosed football players, and that's the way I am."

But back to that attitude of Nova:

"If you perform at the level we play at, you’re going to get better," Nova said. "And I’ve gotten better because that’s all I’m focused on. Like [Don Bosco coach Greg Toal] says, you can get better every five seconds you play. You’ve got to want to get better and do everything to get there. I did that and I’m still doing that."

Love it.

He's also going to be joining up with some former teammates at Pitt:

"I built a good relationship with the coaching staff, and after a tour of the city [last month], I just fell in love with the place," said Nova, whose current Don Bosco teammates Bryan Murphy and Brandon Sacco signed with Pittsburgh in February. "I feel like I fit perfectly into what they do with their offense.

As Brian Bennett points out, Pitt has indeed done exceptional job reaching out into the New Jersey area and has been rewarded:

Pitt has really stepped up its recruiting efforts in New Jersey, an area where assistant coach Jeff Hafley has found tremendous success in the past couple of years. The Panthers' recent pickups from the Garden State include defensive end T.J. Clemmings, running back Ray Graham and athlete Jason Hendricks.

You can also add the biggest fish of all, Dion Lewis, to that list who attended Blair Academy in New Jersey.

Daily Football Notes

I doubt this will become a daily thing, but here is a small group of football articles for the day - nothing much going on out there and my Big Ten expansion holdout is still intact:

You can vote for Pittsburgh as the Ultimate Sports City. Right now, we are head to head with New York City and the voting is going, well, as expected.

Brian Bennett at ESPN.com has moved onto conference wide receiver team rankings. He puts Pitt second behind Cincinnati. Hard to argue with this - after Jonathan Baldwin, Pitt's depth will be a question (though I think someone will step up).

This one's a bit old, but Dennis Dodd ranks Pitt at 20th in his post-Spring poll. I think that might be the lowest I've seen them in all these preseason polls. He also puts them behind Penn State - haven't seen that one yet, either. Still, Pitt is his first ranked Big East team followed by Cincinnati and West Virginia a couple of spots down.

And speaking of Penn State, a Centre Daily Times writer wants the rivalry renewed.

Football Notes

Don't know about you, but I'd never heard of the Pittsburgh Minor Pro Football Hall of Fame. But Pitt announcer, Bill Hillgrove, will apparently be a part of it. Not for his work with the Panthers, but...the Ironmen?

Before Bill Hillgrove became the voice of Pitt basketball and football, long before he did play-by-play for Steelers games, he could be heard doing games for the Pittsburgh Ironmen -- a local semiprofessional football team -- in the mid-1960s.

A couple of writers at Rivals.com think Dion Lewis will lead the league in rushing.

You've heard of Linebacker U - What about Pitt as 'Superstar U?'

And there's news from the South Side about Big Ten expansion. Oh wait, no there's not.

Football Notes

The Pennlive.com blog has a story about defensive line top recruit and redshirt freshman Jack Lippert's move to center to provide the position with some depth:

Lippert made the move during the Panthers' spring practice sessions after some concerted lobbying by the Pittsburgh offensive line coaches.

“[It was] because of a need,'' Wannstedt said.

“He has progressed extremely well. I think he's going to be a heckuva player for us on the offensive line. You know, he's smart, he's tough, he's athletic.''

“We were looking [for] some depth at center,'' Wannstedt continued.

Brian Bennett at ESPN.com ranks Pitt's QBs as the Big East's third-best group and says Pitt is a slam dunk to play in its third straight bowl game.

Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly, discussing the Big Ten, really likes Notre Dame as an independent. On a related note, one SI.com writer doesn't think Pitt is a fit for the Big Ten. Again, I've stayed away from the latest Big Ten talk because it's all been just continued speculation.

Former Pitt standout and NFL All-World CB Darrelle Revis is seeking a contract extension. Or more specifically, a contract renegotiation with a pay raise:

Revis, due to make $1 million for the coming season, told ESPNNewYork.com that the Jets promised him a new contract by the start of the regular season. That seems curious, considering they own Revis' rights through 2012. It can create a slippery slope when a team makes a promise like that, and the Jets have been accused in the past of reneging with other players.

"That's their word. That's what they said," said Revis, standing by his locker. "If you go back on your word, it's a problem."

Revis didn't guarantee that he would be in camp if he wasn't granted his wish.

And one gambling site lists Pitt has a 3-point underdog for their season opener vs. Utah.

Football Notes

Even out of season, lots of tidbits and news out there about Pitt football recently. Guess football really IS king in American sports.

Todd McShay over at ESPN.com is already at it for 2011, mocking the first-round of the NFL draft. Because this is an Insider article, I'll only provide you with this information - McShay has Jonathan Baldwin and Greg Romeus in his first round, but no Dion Lewis.

ESPN blogger Brian Bennett says Pitt has little to worry about if the Big Ten expands by more than one team, while Cincinnati should be worried the most. I'd probably tend to agree with that.

And here's an article about Joe Pa's role in the expansion process. I think Paterno is doing this as kind of a last hurrah. Pitt fans are encouraged by the fact that he's mentioned Pitt as a potential expansion candidate. But I think it's more of him doing this for his legacy to not come off as the bitter old man when it comes to his relationship with Pitt. He very well might not be around when the new Big Ten opens for business, likely in a few years. So there's a good chance he won't even have to play Pitt, which of course, he doesn't want to do. By posturing for Pitt as a candidate, he knows that his decision alone won't make it - Pitt will be in or out, fairly independent of what he wants. Since that's the case, why not at least push for Pitt publicly, leaving the ace up his sleeve needed to 'prove' to critics that he doesn't really hate Pitt?

Bennett also has a solid piece on Jonathan Baldwin getting his thoughts on his basketball skills, game planning against him, and what he's working on for this year:

"My goal this year is to get better at my yards after catch," he said. "I want to run my routes crisper. And destroy defenders when I block them."

I hope deep balls are in the game plan for this year. With his size and athleticism, unless Tino Sunseri is woefully inaccurate or the retooled line has major blocking issues, there's no reason for Pitt not to go deep to him at least a handful of times each game.

And all is well back in the land of Pitt food courts and fried fish sandwiches once again.

Not This Again

Frankly, I don't think this move will help all that much. But the Big East has reached out to former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue and brought him in as a special advisor to the league.

Fine. I don't know, just not sure what he'll bring. But this at least shows that they're maybe, just maybe, considering how to survive if the league loses three teams.

Now to backtrack a bit...

Okay, I give up.

I really didn't want to mention the recent speculation that things are heating up with Big Ten expansion. It just seems to me that people are jumping the gun on this thing. I covered it earlier when the rumors first came to light. But now it's the same thing all over again - I would just feel like I'm beating a dead horse. Heck, they haven't even decided how many teams they want to add to the league. How can any rational person decide if Pitt is in or out at this point?

That said, I want to take a look at how the Big East can survive if it lost three teams.

If Pitt is included, then the subject is moot. Plus, if the Big East lost a big player like West Virginia, it would make it harder harder to survive. So for the sake of argument, let's look at the Big East's options should they try to stay afloat with, say, a three-team purge of Syracuse, Rutgers, and someone like UCONN.

I've said it before, but I think the Big East needs to remain proactive in this. Yes, I know the argument exists that they conference can't really strengthen itself with the likes of Central Florida, etc. But nonetheless, I'm not convinced a three-team purge has to mean the end of the Big East. It would depend on the teams lost.

All three of those teams above mean very little in the landscape of football. True, you don't want to lose those teams because of the markets they're in. But strictly in terms of quality football programs, the Big East could sustain the loss of those members. The basketball side would be lessened a bit, but still would obviously be plenty deep with the likes of Pitt, Nova, WVU, Georgetown, etc.

Here would be nine options for the Big East as I see them, other than trying to get Notre Dame, which is a pipe dream:

1. Villanova - The Big East would need Nova to move its football program to D-I. UCONN successfully pulled the move off from I-AA to I-A and proved it can be done. And it brings in the Philadelphia market for football.

2. Boston College - Yes they're hated, but if the conference were at stake, I have a hard time believing this call wouldn't be placed. It seems as if they never really fit with the ACC and a move back to the Big East would still place them in a premier basketball league and the Big East at this point is, in my opinion, a step up in terms of football.

3. Memphis - Memphis has had four winning seasons in the past eight years. Syracuse? Zero. Syracuse has much larger advantages in terms of market and tradition, but replacing Syracuse football with Memphis football wouldn't be a drop off in terms of play on the field. And their basketball team would at least help replace the Orange's strong program.

4. UCF - Another team that has four winning seasons in their past eight. They would give the Big East more recognition in Florida, which would mean more talent.

5. Temple - Another Big East defect. After years of futility, Temple has shown signs of life the past two seasons, winning 15 games. I don't think they'd come in and even go .500 in the Big East right away, but again, would they be much worse than the Cuse? They're in a large market, which would be a plus and I think the Big East could do worse. Again, there are sure to be bad feelings after Temple was forced out, but a move from the MAC would be a step up for Temple.

6. East Carolina - Really a team on the rise. After a non-existent football program, has had four straight winning seasons and nine in each of the past two. I'm convinced they could play in the Big East as they've got wins over West Virginia, Boise State, and Virginia Tech in the past three years alone.

7. Troy - Has averaged just over 8 wins for the past four seasons (33 total). Obviously not a large market, but would give the Big East another team in the south, which would help expand their recruiting reach into a state, Alabama, with some talent.

8. Marshall - This was a team that showed some promise in the early 2000s, even posting an 11-win season in 2002. They've since fallen off the map, but this could make some sense. They would create a natural in-state rival with WVU and if in the Big East, could likely recruit some better players in the Western PA/West Virginia area that Pitt and WVU wouldn't consider.

9. Ohio University - Has had two nine win seasons in the past four years and would give the Big East more of a presence in the state of Ohio. Plus, could create a rivalry with Cincinnati.

Frankly, I think Pitt will come out of this just fine anyway - whether that means going to the Big Ten, staying in the Big East, moving to the ACC or doing something else. They're a quality academic school that would add a solid market, excellent basketball program, and very good football program. So, I can't see them being left out in the cold - someone would want them.

Ancillary Stuff

Not a lot going on. Sure there was a football scrimmage Saturday, but I can only take so much Spring stuff until it feels as if sticking sharpened pencils directly into my retinas might be more entertaining.

That said, though, there are quite a few minor things out there or things indirectly related to Pitt:

- Well, well, well - looks like Rich Rod may have found yet another way to harm his former employer. As if he wasn't hated enough, now WVU is dealing with potential violations. I'm wondering if it's similar to the type of stuff he's been going through at Michigan with too much practicing. Hmm....

- Joe Pa thinks Big Ten expansion will happen:

"I think the trend is there are going to be bigger conferences. I think there are going to be 12-, 14-team conferences and maybe even 16-team conferences. Do I know what I'm talking about, who knows?

"It would appear to me that with the television situation what it is and the great impact that it has on exposure and what that exposure does to recruiting, we're naive to think ... we can sit back and see everybody else move ahead because they're going to move ahead. We better start thinking about where we're going."

I've not been commenting on the expansion stuff and that's been by design. Just too many variables and unknowns at this point and no real advantage to commenting on it every week until we get closer to something actually happening.

- Brian Bennett over at ESPN.com hints that he may be picking Pitt to win the Big East this year.

- In the wayyyyy to early Bracketology for the 2010-11 season, Joe Lunardi lists Pitt as a 3 seed. He has Georgetown as a 2-seed, highest in the Big East. I'm guessing that's dependent upon Greg Monroe coming back, though they should have a good team even without him. Along those same lines, Andy Katz loves, loves, LOVES Pitt next year. And so does Gary Parrish. I wouldn't put Pitt this high, but to each his own.

- I never got around to mentioning the whole Fred Hill/Pitt baseball thing mostly because I didn't really care all that much. But it was an interesting story nonetheless. Anyway, it appears Rutgers and Hill are at a standstill as far as him coming back to coach. Jon over at Rutgers blog Bleed Scarlet has plenty of good posts analyzing the situation as well as a possible replacement for Hill.

- Former Pitt coach and current Pitt villain Ben Howland gets some votes as one of the decade's top coaches.

- Finally, this happened several days ago, but thought it was worth a mention. Mike Rice agreed to stay at Robert Morris, despite interest from Seton Hall and Tulane. Rice handled the situation exactly how fans want. He ackonwledged interest in listening to both offers, acknowledged interviewing with both schools, and ended up staying. I believe he would have taken the Seton Hall job had he been offered it, but that's not the point. He was as honest and straight forward as could reasonably be expected throughout the process and Robert Morris should be proud of the way he handled the entire process. Jamie Dixon is in a much higher profile situation and the two situations were not the same. But maybe Jamie Dixon should take a note or two about how to handle these types of things rather than essentially playing grab ass with fans and media, and going into hiding every time his name comes up for a job.

Just sayin'.

Updating the Big Ten Stuff Without...You Know...Much Of An Update

Lots of stuff out there, but not much substance on the whole Pitt to Big Ten thing.

Apparently, USA Today (which cites the oft-quoted E.J. Borghetti Twitter thing)thinks this all got started with a post by Ben Maller, radio host for Fox Sports. His post, though, didn't come until after the recent message board explosion and of course, no sources are quoted.

Chicago Trib says nothing to the rumors, according to 'a conference source.'

Third parties are chiming in, too, mentioning a Big Ten expansion could open the door for a non-BCS school like Memphis.

Apparently, The Big Ten, when asked about it, has offered the obligatory 'No comment.'

I'm assuming that Pitt isn't coming out and definitively saying it's not happening this week in order to keep the obvious follow-up questions (i.e. if not now, when) from being asked as they anticipate they could be one of the schools in the running. But if the athlete meeting, which appears to have taken place (though no one is sure of the susbstance) really WASN'T about the Big Ten, why wouldn't athletes say what it was about?

Anyway, there's also the talk out there that Pitt will be leaving later, just not now. Although, no sources on that, either.

ADD ON: Missed this earlier, but Bob Smizik of the PG also says the Big Ten was not mentioned at the recent athlete meeting.

Revisiting Big Ten Expansion

Looks like there's been quite a bit of activity on talk about Big Ten expansion. I realllly wanted to avoid bringing this one back since the original talk of expansion hit the street a while back - at least until something substantive came out. If I made a post every time something was discussed on a message board, this would be a 24-7 job.

The only reason I am making a post is because an actual journalist (someone who actually is in direct contact with the school) had a pretty definitive statement on the issue - that would be Paul Zeise of the PG.

Now, this isn't to say the message board stuff or other 'rumors' aren't true. I have no idea. But this is the first actual journalist - someone who does this for a living - I've seen come out and say what they've heard.

Personally, like I said before, it would likely mean more money for Pitt and even more prestige in the football area. But competing would be that much harder in the Big Ten and instead of having the chance do what Cincinnati did this year - go undefeated and compete for a national title - Pitt would have a much harder time winning the Big Ten. Ohio State and Penn State have been national powers for many years, Iowa looks like they could be on the right track, and you've still got Wisconisn, Michigan (who won't be down forever), MSU, and others to deal with.

Get this clear - I'm in no way saying Pitt could never contend with any of those teams. I'm merely stating the obvious - to beat all of those teams in one year to get to a National Championship would be infinitely more difficult than trying to run the table in the Big East.

I've done my homework out there as far as gathering opinions and I'm sure I'm in the minority on this one. But I would see it as a bad move.

The only thing is that Pitt may be FORCED to make this move if the Big Ten is going to raid more than one team. The conference can survive losing a Rutgers or Syracuse. But losing three teams would force everyone else in scramble mode and who knows where that would end up. So if the Big Ten is taking more than one, Pitt may have to make that move.

The other side of this as well is it's going to hurt basketball. The Big Ten is not terrible, but they're certainly not the drawing card of the Big East. Pitt has a fairly established connection in the NY/NJ/DC area. That's not to say we won't be able to get any of those kids, but the allure of the Big East will certainly help.

In a nutshell, I'm against this unless Pitt's hand is forced.