PITTSBURGH — It's only the second game of the season. I understand that. But it's also a precarious, formative time for the Pitt football program — nationally and locally.
Are the Panthers going to make the long-awaited leap to national prominence?
They're in midair at the moment. They finally launched last season, after 40 years on the tarmac, by winning an ACC championship. They now have clearly stated designs on something bigger.
"We would like to win a national championship," coach Pat Narduzzi said back at the ACC's media day in Charlotte. "We want to be in the playoffs. We were one game last year away from being in that talk."
It doesn't matter if you believe Pitt could actually win a national championship. Getting "in that talk" is what matters in the here and now. Staying relevant is what matters. An early home loss to Western Michigan cramped such conversation last season. A later home loss to heavy underdog Miami killed it.
But Narduzzi's right: Pitt was close to the College Football Playoff, and it has tons of returning talent. That is why it entered this season ranked 17th in the country, despite losing Kenny Pickett and Jordan Addison. And the way to get in that (playoff) talk is to start the season with a big winning streak. Pitt has that chance. The schedule softens considerably after Tennessee (and yes, I know, a game at Western Michigan looms).
After Western Michigan, Pitt plays home games against Rhode Island, Georgia Tech (coming off a 41-10 loss to Clemson) and Virginia Tech (coming off a loss to Old Dominion). That is followed by visits to Louisville (coming off a blowout loss to Syracuse) and North Carolina (narrowly beat Appalachian State).
In other words, major opportunity knocks. It boggles the mind that Pitt hasn't started 4-0 since 2000 under Walt Harris and hasn't started 5-0 since 1991 under Paul Hackett.
There is great value in getting "in that talk," even if you aren't a legitimate national championship contender. Momentum builds. Minds change. Money flows. Tickets sell.
That's the other part of this. This is an entertainment town. Why can't Pitt football become the kind of hot ticket Pitt basketball was in the early 2000s?
The largest crowd in Pittsburgh sports history filled Heinz Field for the opener last Thursday. Yes, West Virginia helped, but that crowd was probably 80% Pitt. I'm guessing a fair amount will come back based on a positive experience (that's how businesses work), wanting another nice return on their investment.
How many times has Pitt squandered these kinds of opportunities over the past 40 years? It began to change last season with the home victory over Clemson and the memorable ACC championship game against Wake Forest, which ended with confetti and Pitt flags flying on national television.
That was a nice start, but it's clear that plenty of people believe it was a Pickett-centric, passing fancy. Those would include the Vegas wise guys, who have Pitt pegged as a up to a touchdown underdog against the Volunteers.
A couple of reasons for that: Money obviously poured in on Tennessee when the point spread was lower, so the line moved. Also, the Volunteers have a 6-foot-4, 218-pound dual-threat veteran quarterback (Hendon Hooker) and 6-foot-3, first-round pick of a wide receiver (Cedric Tillman). If you saw the West Virginia game, you know Pitt looked vulnerable to that kind of combination.
Having said that, to be labeled a touchdown underdog to Tennessee on your home field is a full windup slap in the face. Pitt can prove people wrong Saturday. It can put a figurative flag in the ground and tell the football world, "We're here to stay."
It can become believable.
In real terms, the stakes are these: The Panthers will either disappear from the national scene for at least a month (and need to win every game to re-enter) or begin a march toward the top 10.
Sure, Pitt could still have a great season even if it loses. It could even run the table and still make it to the playoff. But let's be honest: Serious national contenders probably don't lose a home game to Tennessee then run off 10 in a row.
Plus, this is all about the moment. People are paying attention to Pitt football RIGHT NOW. This is the time to strike. Not then. Not later. Not in some far off, fanciful distance.
Here. And now.
