Pitt Football Needs To Get Serious About Non-Conference Scheduling

As I sat in my seat at Heinz Field, watching Zippy the Kangaroo celebrate Akron’s shocking 21-10 defeat over Pitt, I felt much frustration in a team I thought so highly of going into the season.

A few thoughts came across my mind:

• Why does such disappointment always strike us Pitt Panthers fans on a yearly basis?
• Is Paul Chryst really the guy who will take Pitt over the hump of mediocrity?
• Does quarterback Chad Voytik have what it takes to lead Pitt to success?

But the most important question on my mind is this:

• Why is Pitt hosting the Akron Zips at Heinz Field for the fourth non-conference game in preparation for the ACC stretch? What do our Panthers gain by playing Akron?

These questions fired me up, and my blame towards the Pitt players “lack of energy, motivation, and focus” was directed to one man: athletic director Steve Pederson.

I question Pederson for the terrible football scheduling, in which Pitt decides to play several “cupcakes” prior to entering league play each season. If Pitt had defeated Akron 56-0 on Saturday, the college football world would still not be impressed, and Pitt wouldn’t receive any Top 25 votes. The Panthers had absolutely nothing to gain on Saturday, except a “cupcake padding win” to get them one step closer to another Car Care Bowl.

Pitt did have much to lose though. An embarrassing loss hurts recruiting, demoralizes the confidence of the players, and loses fans for the season.

If the Panthers did win all four non-conference games and then ran the table in ACC play, I highly doubt Pitt would be considered for the Top 4 (unless they’d beat the defending champs, Florida State).

And people continue to wonder why Pitt cannot fill up Heinz Field every game. Who is excited to see the Akron Zips, a squad that lost to Marshall 48-17 the previous week. Some Pitt fans would rather watch the Pirates game or go to a Penguins preseason tune-up, and I can’t necessarily blame them.

Pitt continues to flirt with cupcake danger, and I don’t know if Pederson will ever change his philosophy. We continue to schedule weaker opponents, and Pitt plays them with little to no motivation. Looking back at previous years, Pitt has embarrassed itself against Youngstown State, Toledo, Ohio, Bowling Green, and now Akron. Pederson wants to schedule everyone in Ohio except Ohio State.

Do you think that potential Pitt recruits want to play for a squad who schedules minor-league Ohio teams and manages to lose to them? If I were a four- or five-star recruit, I’d probably bypass Pitt and look towards teams who want to compete at the highest level.

In my mind, it is inexcusable for Pitt to not have West Virginia or Ohio State on its nonconference schedule. The Panthers get four non-conference games per season, and three of those should be against better competition. It would generate an exciting atmosphere, ensuring that Pitt would sell out. So what if Pitt lost to a program from a big-time conference? Recruits would want to play for a team who competes against the best programs around this area.

I really despise WVU football, yet I have to give the Mountaineers credit. They played Alabama this season, and in previous years, they have squared off against LSU and Auburn. In future years, they have already scheduled BYU, Maryland, Virginia Tech, East Carolina, Tennessee, NC State, and Penn State.

Iowa was the only non-conference game this season that I was pleased with. Next season, Pitt travels to Iowa and faces Notre Dame. These are both great, but then the Panthers also travel to Akron and will host Youngstown State.

Why? Replace Youngstown State with West Virginia, Ohio State, or any SEC school and Pitt fans would be pleased and excited to attend a college football game. Give the fans AND PLAYERS some excitement.

Even the Akron Zips had some flashy helmets to excite them:

Sep 27, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Heinz field is reflected in an Akron Zips helmet on the sidelines against the Pittsburgh Panthers during the third quarter at Heinz Field. The Akron Zips won 21-10. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

I saw no sense of passion from Pitt this past Saturday.  That passion that was seen against the opener versus Delaware (a 62-0 rout) and away at Boston College (a 30-20 road win) was non-existent.

In 2016, Pitt will host Penn State and travel to Oklahoma State. (Great!) The cupcake for this season is Villanova, which is fine by me. The majority of teams do play one weak opponent as a tune-up game, although I am not condoning that. The fourth spot remains open.

What are the odds that Pederson would give Oregon a call? Let’s try to get LSU, Auburn, Florida or Alabama to agree to a home-and-away? Could you imagine how much excitement that would bring to the Pitt program?

I know scheduling isn’t that simple and is made way in advance, but do you think Pitt even reaches out to those better programs?

(Speaking of hype, how about the Panthers go back to the traditional Pitt script that Pederson banned in 1997? So many fans are pleading for a change back to the old-school uniforms.)

In 2017, Pitt already has Youngstown state on the schedule again. In 2019, Delaware returns. In 2020, powerhouse Richmond is already slated. I’d be content if these were the 1 cupcake per season opponent, but I feel that another low-tier MAC squad from Ohio will be added.

In order to be considered a top program, you have to compete with and defeat the big boys. In the past decade, Pitt hasn’t scheduled the elite, yet fall to the cupcakes. To me, this is a recipe for disaster and disappointed Panthers fans.

If they want to become a top program again, Pitt football needs to square off against the top teams in the country. By playing the best, you could become the best.

As for basketball, Pederson continues to pull the same triggers, bringing in numerous cupcakes to the Pete. This upcoming schedule is certainly better than previous years, but we still have yet to see a Kentucky, Kansas, Michigan State, or UCLA come to the Peterson Events Center.