Pitt Redshirt Diaries : USC

Week 15 predictions

Ray Fittipaldo — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 16:07:00 GMT

Last week: 3-3; Season: 44-30

Pitt vs. Connecticut: I’m 1-4 in games when I pick against Pitt this season, a fact that one dedicated Panthers fan keeps reminding me about. The only time I was right was when I picked the Panthers to get beat at Cincinnati. Why stop now that the regular season is wrapping up? Bill Stull takes a knee at the Connecticut 1-yard line as time expires and the Huskies win, 27-21.

South Florida at West Virginia: Things have not gone as planned in Morgantown this season. It’s been a disappointing end for the seniors who experienced so much success early in their careers. The seniors will be fired up to play well in their home send-off, and they’ll be victorious against a South Florida team that has lost four of its past six. WVU will win, 24- 23.

Army vs. Navy: Navy has dominated this series of late, winning the past six games by an average margin of 28 points per game. It doesn’t look like it will get any better for the Cadets, who bring an uninspiring 3-8 record into the game. Among the teams that beat Army this season: New Hampshire, Temple and Louisiana Tech. Ouch. Navy wins in a romp, 42-7.

Ball State vs. Buffalo: Two first-time participants in the MAC championship game. The Cardinals are undefeated and going for an historic season. The Bulls are looking to go to their first bowl game since moving to Division I-A in 1999. Ball State will remain among the few uneaten teams, 35-17.

Boston College vs. Virginia Tech: After a regular season of competitive games produced parity (or was it mediocrity?) in the ACC, it comes down to the Eagles and Hokies for the championship. Funny how those former Big East teams keep winning ACC championships, huh? Boston College beat Virginia 28-23 in Chestnut Hill early in the year. I’ll take the Hokies to win the rematch, 23-20.

Alabama vs. Florida: Quick, name Alabama’s biggest win of the year. Still thinking? How about the opening victory over Clemson? OK, how about the win at Georgia? Now how about Florida’s best win? That would also be a victory at Georgia, the same Bulldogs teams that lost their season finale to Georgia Tech. All the more reason we should have a playoff. I’m not convinced that either team is worthy of playing in a national title game. But one has to go, so I’ll take the Gators because of Tim Tebow, 30-21.

Oklahoma vs. Missouri: The Paper Tigers have been getting ripped week in their big games down the stretch. They allowed 40 points to Kansas last week, 56 to Texas and 28 to Oklahoma State. Now they face the highest scoring team of all in the Big 12. The Sooners will march into the BCS title game, 63-21.

USC at UCLA: You can tune in for the retro look of the Trojans and Bruins both wearing their home colors for this game. After the opening introductions, you might want to switch the channel. USC beats its cross-town rival with ease, 42-20.

Nittany Lions and the Men of Troy

Dan Gigler — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:37:00 GMT

Penn State fans are holding their breath, hoping for a Penn State-USC showdown in the Rose Bowl on New Year's Day.

But first the Trojans have to beat rival ULCA Saturday to clinch a berth in the game. If USC would lose, there would be a three-way tie atop the Pac-10 standings and the Rose Bowl would be looking at that dreaded Penn State-Oregon State rematch.

Nittany Lion Club members will be able to purchase tickets for Penn State's third Rose Bowl appearance starting tomorrow at 10 a.m. Tickets will be available online only at www.GoPSUsports.com/tickets.

Rose Bowl tickets are $145 each, and have a $15 handling fee, for a total of $160 per ticket. Information on the student ticket sale for the Rose Bowl will be distributed later this week.

-- Ron Musselman

Week 14 predictions

Ray Fittipaldo — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 23:42:00 GMT

Last week: 7-1; Season: 41-27

Pitt vs. West Virginia: I remember talking to West Virginia QB Pat White in the moments after the Mountaineers beat Georgia in the Sugar Bowl in January of 2006. With White and RB Steve Slaton freshmen at the time I remember wondering to myself how many national championship games the Mountaineers would play in with those two players in the backfield. I asked White about the future and he said "It's time to start a dynasty." Well, the Mountaineers never made it to a title game and the dynasty never came, thanks in part to the Pitt Panthers, who knocked WVU out of the BCS title game last year with the 13-9 win in Morgantown. Nothing will ever avenge that loss, but the Mountaineers will pay the Panthers back a little bit. WVU 24, Pitt 17.

Georgia Tech vs. Georgia: Is the ACC just really bad or really competitive? My guess is a combination of both. This is not a great Georgia team, but I like the Bulldogs to get the job done at home, 23-17.

Florida at Florida State: The Gators have never had much success at Doak Campbell Stadium, but this Florida team can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Two more wins and that early-slip-up against Mississippi will be erased and the Gators will play for a national championship. Tim Tebow and Co. won't let the upset happen, 38-28.

Oregon vs. Oregon State: No one really wants to see Penn State play Oregon State again, do they? Penn State-USC is much more appetizing. So let's root hard for the Ducks to beat the Beavers. Wishing...wishing...wishing...Ducks wins, 27-24.

Oklahoma vs. Oklahoma State: The Sooners have been really impressive since their loss to Texas in the middle of the season. But this is a tough game in Stillwater. Of all the rivalry games with top-ranked teams involved I think this one could be the Upset Special. I like the Cowboys to shock the Sooners, 38-37.

Notre Dame vs. USC: Go figure. Pete Carroll couldn't hack it in the NFL as a head coach and he's got the Trojans rolling like no other program in the NCAA. Charlie Weis could do nothing wrong in the NFL as an offensive coordinator and he can't do anything right at Notre Dame. Carroll hammers the nail in Weis' coffin, 49-3.

BCS talk from around the country

Ray Fittipaldo — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 14:22:00 GMT

The first BCS standings came out Sunday night without a whole lot of surprises. Here's a look at what people are writing about across the country.

Here is some national perspective from Brad Edwards.

Texas received all 65 first-place voters in the AP poll this week, but Mark Schlabach from ESPN has some questions about Texas and the quality of defenses in the Big 12.

So much for that loss at Oregon State. USC is in good shape in the BCS according to Chris Dufrense of the L.A. TImes.

Chuck Carlton of the Dallas Morning News reports that Texas is No. 1 across the board in the rankings that determine the BCS.

Jake Trotter of the Oklahoman says an Oklahoma-Texas rematch in the national title game is a possibility.

The Buffalo Bills of college football have an uphill climb in the BCS. Bill Rabinowitz of the Columbus Dispatch reports on Ohio State's chance of getting back to the BCS title game.

Week 6 predictions

Ray Fittipaldo — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 11:59:00 GMT

Last week: 6-1; Season: 14-6.

Pitt at South Florida: The Bulls have played three of their last four on the road, so they’ll be ready to play before the home fans for the first time since the thrilling victory against Kansas Sept. 12. Pitt is playing its second of three consecutive games on the road. For some reason, I think the Panthers will make this one interesting, but I like South Florida to win 30-24.

Penn State at Purdue: I know Penn State has a letdown coming soon, but I don’t think it’s going to be against Purdue. The Boilermakers are not a strong defensive team, which does not bode well when facing the Nittany Lions’ potent offense. Penn State wins, 34-27.

West Virginia vs. Rutgers: Do you think Greg Schiano wishes he had taken the Michigan job now? The Scarlet Knights’ only victory came last week against Morgan State. West Virginia has problems of its own, but the Mountaineers will win this one handily at home, 31-14.

Oregon State at Utah: We’ll see if last week’s victory against USC was a fluke because Utah is at home and has hopes of reaching a BCS bowl game for the second time in five years. The Beavers surprised USC at home, but this is the same team that got whipped at Penn State and managed to lose to Stanford. My pick is the Utes, 31-27.

Auburn at Vanderbilt: This is a huge game for Vanderbilt. The Commodores have had two weeks to prepare for Auburn, the game is at home and they’re in the rankings because of their impressive 4-0 start. The pressure is squarely on them. Auburn is playing on the road for only the second time this season. The first time the Tigers barely squeaked past Mississippi State. I’ll take Vanderbilt, 17-15.

Oregon at USC: Let’s see here, the Trojans were just embarrassed by Oregon State, the game is at home and because there is so much parity they still have legitimate hopes of winning a national championship. Bad timing for the Ducks. USC rolls, 42-16.

Ohio State at Wisconsin: The first road start for freshman quarterback Terrelle Pryor. He could be in for a long day. The Badgers will be looking to redeem themselves after blowing a 19-point second-half lead against Michigan. Wisconsin finds a way to get it done at home, 24-23.

The fallout after one wild weekend

Ray Fittipaldo — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 22:35:00 GMT

All that can be said about the weekend in college football is that it was good to be idle. Nine ranked teams went down, including three of the top four. It’s difficult to rank the degree of the upsets, but USC falling to Oregon State after looking so unbeatable against Ohio State is No. 1 for me. Georgia getting stomped at home and Florida losing to Mississippi at home were close seconds.

Who are the new favorites to advance to the BCS title game? Missouri, Oklahoma, Alabama and maybe BYU are in good position and have favorable schedules, but if the first month of the college football season has taught us anything it’s to expect the unexpected.

LSU became the first team to win the BCS championship with two losses last season and it’s looking like we’re going to have another wacky finish this season.

Here’s my top 25 ballot this week followed by a link to the new top 25.

1. Missouri
2. Oklahoma
3. Alabama
4. LSU
5. Texas
6. Penn State
7. Texas Tech
8. Auburn
9. South Florida
10. BYU
11. USC
12. Georgia
13. Florida
14. Ohio State
15. Kansas
16. Boise State
17. Utah
18. Wisconsin
19. Connecticut
20. Fresno State
21. Vanderbilt
22. Northwestern
23. Ball State
24. Virginia Tech
25. Illinois

Top 25 analysis (let the emails begin)

Ray Fittipaldo — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 19:34:00 GMT

Here is the new top 25 followed by my ballot and analysis:

USC
Oklahoma
Georgia
Florida
Missouri
LSU
Texas
Wisconsin
Alabama
Auburn
Texas Tech
South Florida
Ohio State
BYU
East Carolina
Penn State
Oregon
Wake Forest
Kansas
Utah
West Virginia
Illinois
Clemson
Florida State
Fresno State

My Ballot

1. Georgia
2. USC
3. Missouri
4. Florida
5. Oklahoma
6. LSU
7. Auburn
8. Texas
9. Wisconsin
10. Alabama
11. Penn State
12. Texas Tech
13. Ohio State
14. East Carolina
15. Oregon
16. South Florida
17. BYU
18. Kansas
19. Wake Forest
20. Illinois
21. Boise State
22. Utah
23. Connecticut
24. Fresno State
25. Vanderbilt

Week 3 analysis:

*I'm expecting my inbox to overload from angry USC voters any minute now. Only three of the 64 voters in the Associated Press poll did not vote USC No. 1. I was one of them. I gave Georgia one of its two first-place votes. I had Georgia No. 1 in the preseason, and I think it is way too soon to be jumping to conclusions about Georgia and USC. Georgia is 3-0 and coming off a 14-7 win at South Carolina. It was not an overly impressive victory, but it did come on the road and I see no reason in dropping the Bulldogs from the top spot this early. Maybe if they continue to sputter and win close games, but not three weeks into the season. USC looked dominant against Ohio State, but it’s becoming apparent that the Buckeyes were way overrated entering the season. They barely beat Ohio at home and then got blitzed, 35-3, at the Coliseum last night. I’m going to wait a few weeks before I start jumping teams over others that won for the No. 1 spot. I’ve jumped teams ahead of others that have won before I’m just not ready to do it yet in this case.

*My big losers this week are Ohio State, Arizona State and UCLA. I dropped the Buckeyes 10 spots on my ballot to No. 13 after their lackluster effort. I didn’t drop them lower because the game was on the road and Beanie Wells did not play. Plus, I want to give credit to a coach that is willing to play opponents such as USC in non-conference games. That being said, USC still wins that game by three touchdowns if it’s played in the Horseshoe and if Wells plays.

*Arizona State fell off my ballot completely after the Sun Devils blew a 10-point lead and lost to UNLV in overtime. Other than USC, it was not a good night for the Pac-10. BYU blasted UCLA, Cal lost to Maryland, Stanford lost to TCU and Washington State lost to Baylor.

*UCLA suffered its worst loss since 1929 (59-0). The Bruins received 150 points in the poll and finished just out of the top 25 based on its win against Tennessee. Kind of makes me wonder how Tennessee will fare in the SEC.

New on my ballot

Connecticut: The Huskies are 3-0 and are coming off an impressive 45-10 victory against Virginia. They have Baylor this week followed by three consecutive road games against Louisville, North Carolina and Rutgers. By the end of that stretch we’ll have a better idea about Connecticut and its ability to be Big East title contender. For now they’re on the fringe of my ballot.

Vanderbilt: The Commodores are 3-0 and own an impressive victory over South Carolina, which proved Saturday that it will still be heard from in the SEC after putting a scare into Georgia. The schedule is never easy in the SEC and three of their next four are on the road, including this week’s game at Mississippi.

On the cusp of my ballot

West Virginia: I’m sticking to my word that the Mountaineers have to earn their way back onto my ballot after their performance against East Carolina. They’ll have a chance to get back on if the win at Colorado Thursday night.

Week 3 college predictions

Ray Fittipaldo — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 15:05:00 GMT

We're going to try something new this week and continue through the rest of the regular season and bowl games. I'm going to pick a handful of games each week, including every local game and a few select national games. I'll keep track of the my record from week to week and we'll tally up the numbers at the end of the season.

Ohio State at USC -- I suspect Ohio State running back Beanie Wells, who is nursing a toe injury, will not be 100 percent for the game. And I suspect Terrelle Pryor will not be a major part of the game plan. If that's the case, the USC defense will shut down the Buckeyes offense, which had their share of problems solving the Ohio University defense. Many believe the Buckeyes were looking ahead and that was the reason they looked so bad against Ohio. There could be some merit to that. I think the Buckeyes will keep it close for a while, but the Trojans win, 41-21.

Kansas at South Florida -- Mark Mangino has turned Kansas into a legitimate national power and he has done it with the diminutive Todd Reesing lead the way. Reesing was great last season and has picked up where he left off, going 69 for 90 for 668 yards and six TDS in the first two games. South Florida had a near meltdown in the final minutes against Central Florida and had to pull out that game in overtime. The Bulls have the home-field advantage, but I like the Jayhawks to win a close one, 27-24.

Penn State at Syracuse -- The Greg Robinson Watch is officially on in Syracuse after the orange lost to Akron last week. Penn State, despite its many off-field issues, was dominant last week against Oregon State. Syracuse will play with some pride early, but Penn State will pull away in the second half. Final score 45-20.

UCLA at BYU -- UCLA had two weeks to prepare for this game after its big upset of Tennessee in the opener, and BYU wasn't so impressive winning at Washington last week. Actually, the Cougars were lucky they didn't have to go to overtime against the Huskies after that terrible call by the officials. But this game is at BYU and UCLA still has some issues at quarterback. I'll go with the Cougars at home, 35-21.

Michigan at Notre Dame -- The Fighting Irish looked a lot like they did last year in their opener against San Diego State, and that's not a good sign. Then again, Michigan hasn't exactly been impressive in the first two games under Rich Rodriguez. I have absolutely no reason to think the Wolverines have what it takes to go win this game on the road, but I'll go out on a limb: Michigan 28, Notre Dame 26.

Wisconsin at Fresno State -- Fresno State went cross-country and beat Rutgers in the opener and has had plenty of time to prepare for this game. The Badgers have taken care of business in their first two games, but haven't been overly impressive. If Fresno State wants any shot at earning a BCS bid the Bulldogs need to win this game, so I'll take the home team, 17-16.

Top 25 breakdown

Ray Fittipaldo — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 18:48:00 GMT

Apparently, Georgia didn’t beat Georgia Southern bad enough in Week 1. At least, that’s what the voters in the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today coaches’ poll thought.

USC is now the No. 1 team in both polls after throttling Virginia, 52-7. Georgia beat Division I-AA Georgia Southern, 45-21. All but seven of those Georgia Southern points came in the fourth quarter.

USC picked up nine more first-place votes this week than in the preseason poll, which put the Trojans ahead of the Bulldogs. Maybe USC is the best team in the country, but I don’t see how one week of a 12-game season changed that many minds.

Moving on...

To absolutely no one’s surprise, Pitt fell out of the poll this week after losing at home to Bolwing Green. Pitt fans can only hope that it doesn’t take another three years for the Panthers to get ranked again.

Before being ranked No. 25 in the preseason poll this year, the previous time Pitt held a ranking in the AP poll was the preseason of 2005. The Panthers also lost the season opener at Heinz Field that year, to Notre Dame, 42-21.

If the Bowling Green game was any indication, the Panthers will be hard-pressed to crack the rankings again this year.

But Pitt wasn’t the only ranked team to fall flat in the opener. Pitt was one of five ranked teams to lose in the opening week. Clemson, Illinois, Tennessee and Virginia Tech also lost. All but Illinois fell out of the rankings.

Pitt was the only one of those five to lose at home.

Here is the new AP top 25 followed by my ballot:

1. USC

2. Georgia

3. Ohio State

4. Oklahoma

5. Florida

6. Missouri

7. LSU

8. West Virginia

9. Auburn

10. Texas

11. Wisconsin

12. Texas Tech

13. Alabama

14. Kansas

15. Arizona State

16. BYU

17. South Florida

18. Oregon

19. Penn State

20. Wake Forest

21. Fresno State

22. Utah

23. UCLA

24. Illinois

25. South Carolina

My ballot:

1. Georgia

2. USC

3. Ohio State

4. Missouri

5. Florida

6. Oklahoma

7. LSU

8. Auburn

9. West Virginia

10. Texas

11. Kansas

12. Wisconsin

13. Alabama

14. Arizona State

15. Penn State

16. Texas Tech

17. Wake Forest

18. BYU

19. Oregon

20. Illinois

21. South Carolina

22. Boise State

23. Fresno State

24. South Florida

25. East Carolina

First week analysis: The ACC stinks and the Big East isn’t much better. Whatever became of the notion that the ACC would develop into a superconference after raiding the Big East. Well, it’s five years after the raid and the ACC is the worst of the six Bowl Championship Series conferences.

Want proof?

Clemson, the highest ranked team in the conference at No. 9 in the preseason poll, was non-competitive in a 34-10 loss to No. 24 Alabama in a game that was played at a neutral site.

Virginia Tech, ranked No. 17 entering its opener, lost to East Carolina, 27-22, at a neutral site.

USC went to Charlottsville and blitzed the Cavaliers, 52-7.

In a conference with Miami and Florida State, Wake Forest is carrying the banner for the ACC. That ought to tell you how bad the league is.

The Big East didn’t have it much better Week 1. In addition to the Pitt losing, Syracuse lost to Northwestern, Louisville fell to Kentucky and Rutgers lost to Fresno State.

At the moment, West Virginia and South Florida look to be the only teams worthy of being mentioned among the nation’s elite. And I still have to be convinced that the Bulls can duplicate their success from last season.

New on my ballot: Fresno State, South Florida and East Carolina.

Fresno State --The Bulldogs traveled cross-country and beat Rutgers on its home field. Now they’ll rest for a week and await a visit from Wisconsin Sept. 13.

South Florida -- South Florida was close to being on my ballot in the preseason. With Pitt losing and the Bulls taking care of business against Tennessee-Martin, I slotted them in at No. 24.

East Carolina -- The Pirates beat Virginia Tech in Charlotte and hope to use that momentum in the biggest game in Greenville this century. They play host to West Virginia this week.

On the cusp of my ballot:

Utah -- The Utes went to the Big House and beat Michigan. Had Appalachian State not done the same thing a year ago, I would have ranked Utah. Since Michigan isn’t Michigan anymore, I’ll take a wait-and-see approach with the Utes.

UCLA -- Yes, the Bruins beat a ranked team from the SEC, but their performance was less than dominating. QB Kevin Craft was intercepted four times in the first half and the Bruins had just 29 yards rushing for the game. They’ll get a chance to prove they’re for real Sept. 13 at BYU.

Bowling Green -- While it was impressive that the Falcons came to Pitt and won, I still can’t get over the fact that they lost to Tulsa, 63-7, in the GMAC Bowl last year. Plus, the Falcons can prove they deserve to be ranked by beating Minnesota at home this week or by winning at Boise State the following week.

Five games to keep an eye on this weekend

Ray Fittipaldo — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 17:10:00 GMT

College football season kicks off tonight with several games. The Bowl Championship Series has forced teams to schedule light before league play begins. However, there are a few games worth watching in Week 1. Here's a quick rundown. All games below are on Saturday...

Appalachian State plays at LSU, 5 p.m., ESPN -- The BCS national champion takes on the Division I-AA champion. Normally, this would mean a smackdown. But Appalachian State is more than a Division I-AA power. The Mountaineers proved last season they could play with the big boys when they went to the Big House and beat Michigan last season. QB Armanti Edwards and Co. attempt to shock the world again.

Utah at Michigan, 3:30 p.m. -- From Mountaineer Field to the Big House. The first game for Rich Rodriguez at Michigan, which has a patent on Big Ten, three yards and a cloud of dust football. Rodriguez brings his highly successful spread offense to Ann Arbor. Transitions take time and this one will be interesting to watch all season.

USC at Virginia, 3:30 p.m. -- Kudos to Pete Carroll. When everyone else in Division I-A schedules cupcakes during the non-league schedule, Carroll seeks out tests for his Trojans. This is the first of three games against BCS conference foes. On Sept. 13, Ohio State goes to USC and in late November, the Trojans play host to Notre Dame.

Alabama vs. Clemson, 8:00 p.m. -- Tommy Bowden has the best team in the ACC this season. The Tigers are talented and they'll get to see how they stack up right away because Alabama is getting better under Nick Saban. No home field advantage in this game. It's being played in Atlanta.

Illinois at Missouri, 8:30 p.m., ESPN -- The best game of Week 1. Missouri QB Chase Daniel is a Heisman Trophy candidate and he has plenty of weapons around him to shine. Juice Williams can drive defenses batty with his ability to run and throw. Illini coach Ron Zook might need a few tricks up his sleeve to pull this one out. Surprise onsides, anyone?