Pitt 15th In First AP Poll

Pitt came in ranked 15th in the AP's preseason 2010 college football poll. That was the exact same spot the team finished last season.

The Panthers were the top-ranked Big East team. West Virginia came in at #25 and were the only other Big East team ranked.

Recruiting Rankings

With Pitt's three most-recent commits, I decided to take a look around the recruiting rankings.

Brian Bennett mentioned ESPN.com's rankings in his blog and Pitt comes in at #22 (must be an Insider to review). Pitt is the only Big East team currently in the top 25.

Pitt is ranked #17 on Scout's site and was again the only top 25 Big East team.

These rankings fluctuate so much, it doesn't make sense to follow these so closely.  But Pitt still has several scholarships available and could easily move up in these rankings by the signing period next month.

SI Ranks Pitt 16th

Thanks to a great offer ($29.99 for one year), I opened my first Sports Illustrated magazine since my last subscription about a year ago. Fortunately for me, I was just in time to catch the College Football Preview Issue.  If you don't have it, I'd encourage you to pick up a copy - well worth the money for a newsstand issue as the previews are excellent.

In it, Pitt is ranked 16th and picked to win the Big East.  Cincinnati was the only other Big East team ranked at 18th.

SI also picked the records of teams and predicts Pitt will go 9-3.  I've been giving this more and more thought as the season gets closer, and the more I think about it, the more that sounds about right to me.

Pitt Football Checks In At #14 According To Rivals

Rivals ranks Pitt at #14 in its preseason football poll including all 120 teams.

The Panthers were first among all Big East teams and Connecticut was the only other team to appear in the top 25.

Rivals also has a pretty good preview up as well as a nice look at the perceived depth chart.

Pitt Ranked #15 In Preseason USA Today Coaches Poll

Pitt came in at #15 in the preseason USA Today Coaches Poll, recently released, meaning they will begin with the exact ranking they ended with last season. The Panthers, preseason Big East favorites, were the highest-ranked Big East team.

Immediately ahead of Pitt was Penn State at #14.  WVU came in tied for 24th with Pitt's opening opponent, Utah.

This is right around where I figured Pitt would end up - in the 12 - 15 range.  I'm a little surprised PSU was ranked ahead of them based on the other preseason polls that have been out there all summer.  But then again, they're preseason polls, so it's hard to complain.

Pitt is in a much better spot than last year.  When you start out unranked or near the bottom of the polls, it can be an uphill battle to climb up.  Even if Pitt begins its season with a loss, it still may remain in the polls and in the public's consciousness.  It's particularly good to see Utah ranked as a loss wouldn't look so bad, being it was to a ranked team.

I know - optimistic, aren't I?

News and Notes

Haven't had a news and notes section in a little while - lots of small tidbits out there recently:

ESPN.com's Brian Bennett has a Top 30 Big East list and he's down to his final two.  Pitt will wind up with five players in the list as the top two will be Dion Lewis and Noel Devine.  Even better, Pitt has three of the top four in the list with Greg Romeus, Jonathan Baldwin, and Lewis.

Along those lines, Bennett lists his top triplets in the Big East and to no surprise, Pitt is #1 with Lewis, Baldwin, and Tino Sunseri.

Top triplets?  Yes, things are officially slow.

Here's an interview with former Pitt player and new Seton Hall coach, Kevin Willard.  Judging by the length of some of these answers, it looks like Willard was either not in the mood to talk or standing on a tee box with driver firmly in hand. 

And speaking of Seton Hall, Willard says in another article that Herb Pope is recovering nicely:

“Herb’s doing great, Herb’s doing great,” Willard said Thursday. “Taking classes, working, getting back because he did miss quite a few classes. He’s really working hard to get back academically what he needs to do and get back on track for graduation. Herb’s doing pretty good.”

Former Pitt great and current Pope mentor, Charles Smith, also comments briefly via text in the article.

And Bob Smizik of the PG notes that the negotiations to move Pitt games to the new radio station The Fan may hinge on coverage of women's basketball.  I can't make this stuff up.

Dickie V's Preseason Top 40

Dick Vitale weighs in with his preseason NCAA Basketball Top 40 list.  The surprising part to me wasn't seeing Pitt at #12, it was finding Pitt behind both Syracuse and Villanova.

Syracuse lost their big three of Wes Johnson, Andy Rautins, and Arinze Onuaku.  They have an excellent recruiting class coming in, but will be a very young team.  Villanova didn't lose as much, but they will be without their best player from last year, Scottie Reynolds, and starter Reggie Redding.

This has been rehashed over and over, but Pitt only loses Jermaine Dixon.  A loss to be sure, especially on the defensive end.  But Pitt always plays strong team defense and between Travon Woodall and incoming guards Isaiah Epps and Cameron Wright, I don't think Pitt will have a problem making up his offense.

I'm still not sure how high I'd rank Pitt yet, but I do think they're the preseason favorite in the Big East.  Vitale's colleagues, Andy Katz and Pat Forde agree.

News and Notes

Nothing major out there today, but a few things to mention before things pile up:

Tom Herrion gets a nice piece discussing his opportunity at Marshall, some of his past coaching experience, and, of course, the quarter:

Making the quick drive from his old job to his new one, Tom Herrion stopped to grab a bite to eat in Morgantown, W.Va.

While Herrion finished up his meal, a gentleman slid out of his nearby booth and came over to Herrion's table.

"Excuse me, weren't you the assistant at Pitt?" the man said.

And when Herrion admitted that, indeed, he was the assistant coach made famous after getting pegged by a flying coin during a Panthers game at West Virginia, the man took a quarter out of his pocket and set it on the table.

"Not all West Virginia people are bad," he said and walked off.

Former Pitt recruit and Seton Hall standout Herb Pope, meanwhile, is still recovering and is back in Pittsburgh. It's unclear if he will play next season at Seton Hall.

Brian Bennett at ESPN.com wraps up his Big East position rankings. Pitt ranked fourth in the secondary and fifth at Tight End.

Just a quick note on the tight ends. I've mentioned this before, but I really believe this position will be more productive than expected. With the loss of Dorin Dickerson and Nate Byham, I'm sure many fans are looking for a large decrease in production there. But I believe that Offensive Coordinator Frank Cignetti will again find ways to get the tight ends involved. And with a new quarterback and retooled offensive line, you can look for some short, safe passes this year to the tight end 'security blanket.' I think fans will be pleasantly surprised, even though it's almost a guarantee that there will be a decrease in production at that spot.

And Dion Lewis was called college football's most productive runner and a top five Heisman candidate by the Sporting News. The publication also ranked Pitt 19th and named Lewis, Jason Pinkston, Jonathan Baldwin, and Greg Romeus to its All American teams.

Recruiting Thoughts

A writer from Scouts, Inc. for ESPN.com ranks the Big East basketball classes and Pitt is sixth.

Every now and then when I see these stories, it really gets me to thinking. To be honest, I don't know what amazes me more. Pitt's inability to consistently land higher-rated recruits or their ability to get the most out of the ones they do get.

One argument I'm sick of is the one that says Pitt won't get these types of players until they get to a Final Four. Please. Rutgers landed All-American Mike Rosario didn't they? Through Huggy Bear, Kansas State lured Michael Beasley. Marquette is 2nd on this list and even Providence (yes, THAT Providence) managed to land two ESPNU Top 100 players and ranks ahead of Pitt.

Now it's not as if Pitt has gotten chopped liver. Over the past four years, ESPN has ranked them in the top 25 three times. But they've had no top 15 classes and only one McDonald's All-American in the past ten years.

How much do these rankings mean? In reality, not all that much. DeJuan Blair was ranked somewhere around 50th, but was one of the best players in college basketball as a sophomore. Devin Ebanks of West Virginia was rated below Truck Bryant and Kevin Jones, but is the only one leaving early for the NBA. But for Pitt to not be able to land more top ranked players is kind of a head scratcher to me. Look at the factors:

1. They've put together nearly a solid decade of winning basketball with several Sweet 16 appearances and an Elite 8. Not among the best of the best, but certainly in that next tier. Record-wise, Pitt has been one of the nation's best.

2. Pitt has great facilities and plays in a new building.

3. The Oakland Zoo provides one of the best atmospheres in all of college basketball.

4. Pitt regularly plays on national TV.

5. It's also a very solid academic school.

When I see teams that have not even had a sniff of Pitt's recent success recruiting higher ranked players, I've got to admit I just don't get it. And I'm not so sure the argument of Pitt not allowing star players to 'showcase' themselves applies. To the contrary, I think Pitt would be a school a top recruit could look to and see himself leading an already good team to a championship.

Part of it is due to location - I get that. Great players staying close to home. But what this should really tell you how much of a factor relationships can play into recruiting.

All Pitt can really do is keep plugging away and the more they develop a reputation for sending players the NBA, the better things should get. Pitt has sent four players to the NBA in the past five seasons (DeJuan Blair, Sam Young, Aaron Gray, and Chris Taft) and Brandin Knight had a sniff appearing in one game in 2004-05 with the Rockets. If Gil Brown ever gets this consistency thing down, perhaps he'll get a look and you've got to think Dante Taylor can get there.

Pitt has had a lot of success, which is why their lack of top recruits is all the more puzzling.

Miscellaneous Notes

Found a fairly long, but inconsequential interview with Charles Smith by CollegeHoopsNet.com the other day. There's a few good things in here, but like half of it is dedicated to a game-by-game breakdown of international competition. Kind of a slow read. I did find this interesting, however:

JT: In 1987 you said you were "80% sure" that you would turn pro, but you chose to return to school. Why were you going to turn pro, and why did you end up changing your mind?

CS: My academic advisor asked me what I was going to do, and when I told her I was thinking about going pro, she told me to come in and talk to her. We talked about the opportunity to graduate and enjoy my senior year. My major was Communications, and she said it made sense for me to get my degree; she was a deciding factor. It worked out well for me, as I was the 1st one in my family to graduate from college.

Man, I wonder what the chances are now that an academic advisor could talk a kid out of going pro. I'm guessing somewhere in between slim and none.

DeJuan Blair was back in town. And oh, what a difference a year makes:

"My favorite part of my first season was just making it," Blair said. "I didn't think I was going to make it at all. I went through all of that stuff, my name not being called [in the first round]. I had some doubts. I definitely had some doubts."

Last year, those doubts didn't seem to surface - at least in public. I'll admit I was one who thought he would be better served coming back to college and working on a jumpshot I thought he would need against taller players.

In the immortal words of Fred Savage in Wonder Years, wrongo.

Little did I know he would simply outwork everyone on the next level. I've got nothing but praise for him.

And Shady was back in his hometown for the first ever "Shady's Community Day." Far from me to knock a charity event (especially for a worthy cause, which this one is) but if ever something were in need of a name change, this might be it.

Mel Kiper has some sort of top five list for college football juniors (must be an Insider to view) out there. It's a top five list, but not really a top five list. Color me confused. At any rate, he's got several Pitt players in there.

And Brian Bennett at ESPN.com has several updates out there including his Big East rankings for defensive line (Pitt is first) and offensive line (Pitt is 4th). He also gives a video preview of sorts for Pitt in 2010.

Minor Basketball Notes

Two quick basketball notes:

Pitt recruit J.J. Moore burst into ESPNU's top 100 prospects (must be an Insider to view). He comes in at #77 now in the list that was updated on May 6th. I believe he was previously not ranked in the top 100, but I could be wrong.

Also of note was that PG recruit Isaiah Epps was not in the list. I believe he previously was, but is no more appearing in it.

Recruiting rankings are fickle and can be determined based on a few bad games in high school. Still, I like to keep track of them.

Also of note in the Big East was the dismissal of Jamine Peterson from Providence. Clear reasons weren't given, but it doesn't sound good:

The incident involving Peterson, which PC has refused to detail, involved improper activity with a group of teenagers who play basketball for the top AAU program in Boston, the Boston Amateur Basketball Club. The BABC 15-year old team was in Providence playing in an elite tournament at Rhode Island College from April 23-24. An incident unfolded on the PC campus in which Peterson was present, according to BABC officials.

“There was an unfortunate incident involving some of the kids on our 15-year-old team in a dorm room” at PC, said BABC founder and Boston Celtics assistant executive director of basketball operations Leo Papile. “We’ve taken measures on our end with our staff so that something like this would never happen again. We also quickly informed the Providence (coaching) staff of what occurred.”

Papile refused to disclose any details of the incident, citing concern for his players and their families. Asked if Peterson was involved, Papile said “Greedy was present, as were kids from a few other AAU programs.”

This guy was an absolute beast for them last year, averaging about 20 and 10. It will be interesting to see where he ends up. Yet another big name to leave the Big East this year.

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.

Another Preseason Basketball Ranking

A few days in between posts. Nice weather, two days of seemingly continuous grilling, gardening, and life will cause that. Just now getting around to some of these pre-season basketball rankings.

Gary Parrish over at Sportsline.com brings Pitt in at #6 for the 2010-11 season in his top 25:

6. Pittsburgh: The top three scorers -- and seven of the top eight -- return from a 25-win team, including Ashton Gibbs, Brad Wannamaker and Gilbert Brown. The roster still doesn't seem imposing from an individual-talent perspective. But it's basically the same roster Jamie Dixon used to tear through the Big East last season. There's no reason to believe he won't do similar things next season.

I don't know, I think I've mentioned this before - I'm skeptical when it comes to seeing Pitt as significantly better than last season. Everyone will be a year better and that's huge. However, Pitt will still be without the go to player they desperately need, unless someone like Ashton Gibbs, Gil Brown, or Dante Taylor can step up and turn into that player. The good news for Pitt is that they will have depth. Quality depth. The team could easily go ten deep in its regular rotation.

Pitt will be very good, but I don't know if I'd put them in the Final Four discussion just yet.

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.

Minor Basketball Notes

A few very random basketball pieces out there:

To start, there are a lot of preseason rankings out there. I've followed a few, but there are getting to be too many to keep up with. Chas over at Pitt Blather has a good rundown of the ones out there.

Pat Forde at ESPN.com thinks Pitt is a contender for next season and possibly the best team in the Big East:

4. Pittsburgh: The Panthers overachieved last season, winning 25 games with only a single senior playing a major role. Expect more next season from a program still trying to shatter the Elite Eight ceiling that has hovered above it in recent years. In a Big East that has lost a lot of sizzle, Pitt could be the clear preseason favorite.

Former Pitt standout Charles Smith has been advising Seton Hall's Herb Pope and says he should be able to make a full recovery from his recent health issues that helped force him out of the NBA Draft.

And Jamie Dixon apparently helped, at least somewhat, in Robert Morris' hiring of assistant coach Andrew Toole.

Another Early Top 25

Pitt got another bid for a preseason Top 25 - this time by Mark Schlabach of ESPN.com. He's got Pitt pegged at #13. The disturbing trend of 2010 I'm noticing is that everyone seems to be giving up on Cincinnati:

With former Cincinnati coach Brian Kelly moving to Notre Dame, Pittsburgh might be the team to beat in the Big East.

This isn't the first reference I've seen to Cincinnati's 'demise.' To his credit, he's not predicting a big fall for Cincinnati - he's got them ranked as well. But the loss of Brian Kelly doesn't necessarily make me think he's the reason the team won't win the conference next year. Not to mention, West Virginia is not going to be a pushover, either. I'm hoping the pundits are right, but I won't believe it until I see it.

Another Ranked Program

Mention Pitt baseball and you're likely to start a discussion of Rutgers basketball coach Fred Hill's highly publicized outburst in the Pitt/Rutgers game. But the true story should be Pitt's play on the field.

After a great start this year, has finally moved into the top 25 rankings. The team is 16-9 and fresh off a sweep of Villanova and ranked #24 in the latest Collegiate Baseball newspaper poll. The team went 4-1 this week since being ranked.

So What's The Word?

Pitt's recruiting class, as I mentioned before according to Paul Zeise, is fully in. Seems like it was a pretty stress-free day since Pitt had most of their signees in fairly early.

Pitt also made a late run at Taj Alexander of Rutgers, but he has apparently stuck with them.

Coach Jeff Hafley talks a bit about the recruiting trail and specifically, going after Dion Lewis:

"Our biggest need was to find a running back because there was the potential of (Philadelphia Eagles running back) LeSean McCoy leaving," said Hafley, a second-year secondary coach. "I didn't care if the kid was listed as the No. 25 or No. 1 running back in the state, I was going to try to get film on him and evaluate him.

"I wanted to be thorough and not limit my search on what (recruiting) services call the best back in the area. Dion was not ranked as one of the best players in New Jersey, but when we got the film, we loved him."

And of course everyone knows that signing day is not a mere formality - all you have to do is look at the disaster that was 2004. Anthony Morelli and Andrew Johnson look back briefly at their recruiting experiences.

Anyway, Pitt appears to have landed a fairly strong recruiting class - not one of the best in the country, but certainly nothing to hang your head about.

Scout.com seems to love Pitt the most, ranking them 15th in the nation and 1st in the Big East.

Rivals checks Pitt in at #32 overall and 2nd in the Big East behind West Virginia.

ESPN.com and MaxPreps/Sportsline.com only have a top 25 ranking from what I can tell, and the Panthers do not appear on either. Here's ESPN.com's rankings on each player.

These rankings could all be subject to change, obviously, as the day continues.

There seems to be some disagreement on who is the 'gem' of this Pitt class - QB Anthony Gonzales is ESPN.com's pick, while Scout.com and MaxPreps/Sportsline.com both go with DE T.J. Clemmings. Zeise also basically says its Clemmings as well.

Really, most of us know that these rankings, while not completely meaningless, account for very little. So many invariables - coaching, academics, attitude, etc. go into making a highly-ranked player even a good one in college. Still, it's nice to see Pitt hang onto all of their players as plenty of schools suffer 'defections' every year.

More Respect

Pitt got some much deserved respect when the polls came out this afternoon as they were moved up to #9 in the AP Poll and #11 in the ESPN/USA Today poll. They're in a spot that no one could have really predicted after the Wofford game and Indiana loss. And how on earth does North Carolina or UCONN with six losses stay in the top 25? Please.

More rankings as Gary Parrish over at CBSSportsline.com bumps Pitt up to eighth. Gary also had time to mention Nasir Robinson's career day.

The players, of course, are doing their best to not buy into the hype.

Joe Lunardi also did right by Pitt as he moved the team up to a rising #2 seed. As much as North Carolina and UCONN have underachieved, I'd still hate to face either as a #6 seed in the first round.

And just as it's a surprise to many to see the team ranked so high, it's also been surprising to see Ashton Gibbs develop the way he has - at least so quickly. Obviously with the depature of a huge chunk of the offense there are more opportunities, but I didn't expect this kind of leap in production. I figured as a three-point shooter with more shots, he could get up to maybe around 10 per game. But he's exceeded those expectations - and then some. For Gibbs, its all about confidence.

Anyway, reverting back to Saturday one final time, Jermaine Dixon has a theory on why Pitt didn't see the press as much as it typically does from Louisville:

"I can see why (Pitino) didn't press and decided to stay in the matchup zone. But I was surprised they didn't press us because they had a lot of success with it last year. I think they felt they could press Levance because they wanted to wear him down because we ran a lot of our sets through him."

I don't know how much sense that makes. I would think there are more sets for Gibbs to get open as he's a more potent scorer than Levance was. But for whatever reason, there was certainly less pressing going on than normal.

Meanwhile, Ron Cook of the PG is probably correct in this assertion about Gary McGhee:

McGhee is hardly a star, but Pitt would not be 15-2 and knocking on the door of the top 10 without him. He had the difficult challenge this season of taking over in the post for All-American DeJuan Blair, who, you might have heard, is showing off his game quite nicely in the NBA. He hasn't backed down from it, giving Pitt a big body and a better-than-expected physical presence inside as a defender and rebounder.

Also, Jermaine Dixon is also still working out his game after the injury.

In other news, Pitt missed out on Andy Katz's team of the week and lost to...Virginia? Virginia beats Georgia Tech and Miami at home while Pitt beats UCONN on the road and Louisville at home. He also dissed Pitt a bit by not even declaring Pitt/Georgetown as a 'place to be', instead opting for games the same day such as Temple/Xavier and *gag* Utep/Memphis. Seriously? I think I just threw up in my mouth.

Georgetown up next.

Early Look to 2010 Season

Noticed a few preseason polls (yes, already) for the 2010 football season:

Rivals.com has Pitt entering next season as #13.

BUZZ: Dave Wannstedt and Pittsburgh was a win away from a BCS bid in 2009. RB Dion Lewis will be a candidate to be the fourth consecutive sophomore to win the Heisman. The Panthers need to replace some key players on defense - both tackles, a couple of veteran linebackers and CB Aaron Berry - but the Panthers should be the preseason favorite in the conference.

No mention of QB Bill Stull and Dorin Dickerson on offense, but limited space was alloted to each team. One thing I kind of lost track of was the three straight sophomore Heisman candidates. Kind of ironic considering all the talk that Larry Fitzgerald didn't win the Heisman because he was a sophomore. That seems forgotten now.

At any rate, Rivals picks Pitt as effectively the top Big East team with UCONN a somewhat surprising second.

Meanwhile, ESPN.com's ranking of 15th places Pitt exactly where the ended this season:

Pitt finally got over the hump under coach Dave Wannstedt, who led his alma mater to its first 10-win season since 1981. The Panthers will have to replace quarterback Bill Stull and three starting offensive linemen, but they'll have two of the country's best playmakers in tailback Dion Lewis and receiver Jonathan Baldwin. At least five starters will have to be replaced on defense, too, including All-Big East defensive tackle Mick Williams, linebacker Adam Gunn, and cornerbacks Aaron Berry and Jovani Chappel. Wannstedt hopes junior defensive end Greg Romeus is coming back for his senior season. Pitt plays an aggressive nonconference schedule, with road contests at Utah and Notre Dame and a home game against Miami. The Panthers will play Big East road games at Connecticut and Cincinnati and will play Rutgers and West Virginia at home.

Still not sure why exactly Pitt would want to travel to Utah to play, but to each his own. In this poll, Cincy ranks first among Big East teams and Pitt second.