Pitt & The Big 11

The rumors are out there but most reports indicate nothing is close to being decided. That doesn't stop us from speculating, though.

Academically, Pitt is one of the better public schools in the nation, but let's not kid ourselves, this is about a football playoff and straight cash, homey. Is Pitt a good fit? Do they improve the conference on the gridiron? To me, basketball is as irrelevant as academics in the discussion but they wouldn't hurt.

First, are they a good fit? They bring a natural rivalry with Penn State that was suspended on the field over squabbles between the athletic departments in 2000. They have a longstanding rivalry with Notre Dame which fits in well. They'd be dumping on-the field rivalries with Syracuse, West Virginia & Cincinnati though they'd certainly maintain their game with West Virginia. That would be an imposing non-conference schedule. But straight cash homey, would make it workable and at this point, beating Notre Dame is no better than beating a MAC school. So, bring on Temple, baby!

As for improving the conference, they don't bring much recent success. They haven't been a legitimate national title contender since 1983. Let's face it, a title in 1976 (Their only "modern" title) means little to nothing today. They have one Big East title on their resume and are coming off a season where they missed an XP that opened the door to a Cincinnati title. In the only season they won the Big East (2004), they were a pedestrian 8-4 and got hammered by Utah in the Fiesta Bowl. They do have very good facilities and play at Heinz Field - though I wonder if sharing a stadium isn't a drawback.

Adding Pitt to the Big 11 would be lauded as a move to add a school with solid academic credentials but would bring little to the conference on the field despite what their alumni might think except that magic playoff, er, conference title game.