Predicting the CFB Playoff; ACC Teams That Suck; Previewing Pitt-UNC

Pitt is undefeated against bye week. Take that to the bank. Now that things like yard work and enjoying the outside world are in the rear-view mirror, it’s time to get back to business and preview America’s biggest college football game: Pitt-UNC. How bad does UNC suck? A lot. Can Pitt beat them? Probably, but we are terrified of predicting it.

Before we get into breaking down Thursday’s game, we look at the College Football Playoff and break down who’s in, who’s out, and who needs help to get in (hint: The Big Ten is screwed). We also break down the entire ACC team by team, with the fourth quarter of the season just around the bend.

All that, and more, ahead in episode 262!

The Top 5 Most Annoying Fan Bases, as Told by Pitt Fans

What’s there to do when college football season is seven months away? Rank the most annoying fan bases! And that’s just what we’ve done in our latest Pitt episode. Penn State? West Virginia? Notre Dame? Where do they, and many others, rank? We debate and discuss!

We also dig into the week that was in Panther basketball, and we talk about Pitt’s chances at the NCAA Tournament. That’s right… they might not be done just yet! That’s thanks to a big win against Florida State on Saturday.

We also talk some Pitt football and react to the hiring of Charlie Partridge. ESPN.com has also done a few offseason football articles that mention Pitt, so we talk linebackers, quarterbacks, and offensive coordinator Shawn Watson. All that, and more, in Episode 222!

WE WON! TWICE!! Also Football Schedule & Rooting Interests

We’re back with another Pitt episode of the Chris and Dan Podcast! In this episode, we get to actually revel in two Pitt basketball wins. TWO!! It’s been a while, so we choose to start things out with basketball, rather than pushing it off to the end (as we’ve done for weeks on end). It’s just great to see a win again. We also talk about Pitt football’s non-conference schedule being ranked toughest in the country, and we debate whether or not we can root for Pitt alums that end up playing for professional teams that we hate. All that, and more, in Episode 220!

Going Bowling! Pitt-Northwestern in the Pinstripe Bowl; Pitt BBall Rollercoaster

It’s official! Pitt is headed to New York City to play Northwestern in the Pinstripe Bowl! Chris and Dan gather together immediately after Pitt received its bowl bid to discuss the news and break down some early thoughts on the game. We also give our opinions on the final College Football Playoff rankings. Penn State left out, largely due to their 42-39 loss to Pitt. Will that score live on in infamy just like 13-9? Next we touch on the coaching carousel and if it will affect Matt Canada, and then we discuss how Canada could be a huge player in convincing a certain big-time QB recruit to come to Pitt. Lastly, we go over the week in Pitt basketball and talk about the really high highs and the really low lows. All that, and more, in Episode 194!

Penn State Will Get Screwed; The College Football Playoff Committee Makes No Sense

I hate Penn State football. If you regularly listen to our podcast, you might, too.

But I have to be honest…

The College Football Playoff system is going to screw over the Nittany Lions. Hard.

Weird Rankings, Pitt’s Insane Schedule, & A Pitt-Miami Preview

We’re back, and so are the College Football Playoff rankings! We dig into the surprises in the first edition of these rankings for 2016 (cough, Texas A&M, cough, Penn State). Upon looking at these rankings, it’s apparent Pitt’s schedule has been pretty tough this year. We break that down, and talk about how this season really hasn’t been “bad.” Then we get into the Pitt-Miami game and break down both sides of the ball. There are really good reasons to believe Pitt will win this game, but it’s probably going to come down to Pitt’s ability to defend the pass again. Can the Panthers match-up? We debate. We also spend the first seven minutes power ranking candy. You’re welcome.

Dominate the State

We’re back with the best recap in the history of the podcast. That’s right, we’re here to talk Pitt’s win over Penn State! We dig into all aspects of the game, but first we talk about the second edition of #PittTwitterTailgate — Another monumental success! Then we dig into the game itself, and break down the highs and lows on offense, defense, and special teams. We also take some time out to once again point out how terrible the Pittsburgh sports media is, and we take listener reaction from the game, along with some great stories from our tailgate! All that, and more, in Episode 151!

The Time Has Come, Previewing Pitt-Penn State

We’ve waited 16 years for this, and it’s finally here. It’s time to preview Pitt-Penn State. We start the conversation off by discussing the much-moaned about media policy enacted by Pat Narduzzi and talk about how fans are fine with it. We then dig into a column written by Fox Sports that declares the Pitt-Penn State game the biggest of Franklin’s career (even if he refuses to acknowledge this game as a rivalry). After that, it’s time to talk football! We talk offense, defense, and special teams for both squads and discuss who the impact players could be on Saturday. Lastly, we make our predictions, take listener feedback, and look around at other games in the ACC in Week 2. All that, and more, in Episode 150!

What would make this a successful season for Pitt?

This is the fourth of five questions we’re debating to preview and prepare for the 2016 Pitt football season. Lucky for us, some of our #PittTwitter friends were kind enough to contribute their thoughts for each question.

Today we try and define what success means for Pitt in the 2016 season, whether it be a certain win total, wins against specific teams, division championship, conference championship, specific bowl game, or something else. Be sure to listen to our mini episode at the end of the post after you read through what our panel has to say, and check out our previous editions if you haven’t already!

• Question 1: What do you expect to see from James Conner
• Question 2: How do you see the Pitt WR battle playing out? Who will earn starting spots?
• Question 3: What is Pitt’s biggest strength, and Pitt’s biggest weakness?

The Panel:

• Jim Hammett, CardiacHill.com
• Chris Bruno, CardiacHill.com (@BrunoPittsburgh)
• Justin Witmer (@NFLGimpy)
• Anson Whaley, CardiacHill.com (@AnsonWhaley)
• Corey Cohen (@CoreyECohen)

So…

What would make this a successful season, in your opinion?

—

Anson Whaley

The Penn State game is extremely important from a recruiting standpoint, but no one game will ever make a season for me. It would be difficult to go 5-7 while winning that game and call the year a success. And while winning the Division would be tremendous, it’s hard for me to set that as the marker for success, either. North Carolina and Miami will be difficult challengers and if Pitt somehow went 8-4 or 9-3 in the regular season but lost the Division with losses to those teams, it would be difficult to be too upset with that. And conversely, if they went only 6-6 but somehow won the Division, that would be a success, too.

Leaving out the individual game aspect and the conference achievements, I think Pitt needs to win no less than eight games (including a bowl). That means there wouldn’t be a dropoff from the previous year and if Penn State is one of those wins or they contend for a Division, it becomes that much better. This team can be very good, but I can’t say I’m to the point of expecting a Division title just yet.

Corey Cohen

A successful season for me, honestly, is beating Penn State. Don’t get me wrong, a Penn State victory as part of a 3-9 season would still be a nightmare, but any good season pretty much needs to come with a Penn State win. An 8-4 record would be really nice, but if one of those 8 wins isn’t against Penn State, things feel hollow. A 6-6 year including a victory over the Nittany Lions would still feel good. Trust me, if you live outside of Allegheny County and you’re surrounded by Penn State fans, a slightly worse record but a win over PSU is so much better than the inverse. I think a 7-5 season (including a win over Penn State) is a good goal for a season with a monstrously tough schedule, a superstar playmaker gone to the NFL, and a former ACC Player of the Year returning from a season-ending injury and a life-threatening disease.

Jim Hammett

I think when you have a new coach, you just want to make it seem like you are making progress. So having said that, I think going from eight wins to nine would be a big deal. Whether the team goes 8-4 and wins the bowl game, or goes 9-3 and loses the bowl game really wouldn’t matter so much to me.

I think in the end, Pitt should compete for the Coastal Division again. They came up short last season, but a 6-2 conference record was rather impressive and it had them playing meaningful games throughout the season.

Pitt doesn’t need to beat any specific team, but obviously the elephant in the room is Penn State. Does Pitt absolutely need to beat them?  Of course not. Would it be great?  Absolutely. That game’s perception in the mind’s of fans for both sides will be bigger than the outcome itself.  Pitt can still win the division without beating Penn State, go to a good bowl and land some solid recruits, but at the end of the day I know Pitt fans and players and coaches really want that win, probably more than most.

Chris Bruno

Any bowl game appearance. I really think Pitt fans need to take a step back and realize just how brutal Pitt’s schedule is this season. 6-6 would be a nice year for them and the sad thing is, that you know Pitt’s fanbase, would not see it that way, but I do. Just look at that schedule man! Then, remind yourself that UVA, Virginia Tech, Miami, and Syracuse, all went out and upgraded at the coaching position. In the cases of Virginia Tech and Miami….they REALLY upgraded!  Add that to the fact that you have games AT Clemson and AT UNC and AT Oklahoma State, and it’s brutal…and I haven’t even mentioned Penn State yet. They have Villanova as the opener, but then it’s gonna be an up and down ride, I think. Some see games and forget that someone like, oh say Marshall, will probably hit a bowl game at season’s end. They are no pushover either. It’s really a crazy hard schedule, especially when you factor in the coaching changes on some opponents.

Justin Witmer

Success is defined by improvement. All of the parts are there for an improvement in 2016. Only Tyler Boyd is truly irreplaceable this season but improvements at RB, QB, and a great OL should alleviate that. The defense has an entire year of experience in the new system and more talent than 2015. The issue is the team may be better but it might not show up in wins and losses due to a tougher schedule.

If Pitt wins eight again with this schedule, that’s a successful season. Road trips to Clemson, UNC, and Oklahoma State (#2, #15, and #20 at the end of last season) are very difficult. Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech were uncharacteristically down last season. Eight wins will be tough to come by.

Pitt Position Battles, Impact Freshmen, & Attendance

We’re back talking Pitt football in Episode 139! We’re one week into Pitt camp, so it’s time to get down to business. We discuss the wide receiver position and who might step up and earn the No. 2 and No. 3 spots behind Dontez Ford. Conversation then moves over to debating which freshmen might make the biggest impact in 2016. Finally, we wrap things up by discussing the topic of the week: Pitt-Penn State attendance. The attendance debate is stupid, and hopefully we can put it to rest. All that, and more, in Ep. 139!