PITTSBURGH — Senior linebacker Khaseem Greene will be long gone before Rutgers ever takes a snap as a member of the Big Ten.
Forgive Greene if he’s not exactly caught up in the hype surrounding the school’s decision to bolt the Big East for more stable ground in 2014.
“At the end of the day, we ain’t winning no Big Ten championship this year,” Greene said.
The Big East, however, is another matter entirely.
The 21st-ranked Scarlet Knights (9-1, 5-0 Big East) can clinch at least a share of the conference title with a victory today in Pittsburgh (noon, ESPN 2). Heady territory for a program that’s been playing football for 143 years.
It’s a benchmark Rutgers was on the verge of reaching a year ago, only to lose to Connecticut in the regular-season finale. The memory still stings, though the Scarlet Knights believe it can also be an important reminder about not overlooking anyone, particularly the Panthers (4-6, 1-4).
“We can learn a lot from that [Connecticut loss] and understand that every team is dangerous and every team has good players and if you’re not ready to go and don’t take a team seriously they can come up and surprise you,” senior defensive tackle Scott Vallone said.
Something the Panthers have done a couple of times this season. They stunned Virginia Tech in September when the Hokies were still considered dangerous and nearly knocked off top-ranked Notre Dame last month, falling in triple overtime.
Like Rutgers, Pitt is making a beeline for another conference. The Panthers will join the ACC next fall. Like Rutgers, Pitt is hoping to maximize its final days in the conference it has called home for the last two decades.
Pitt needs to win each of its final two regular season games to become bowl eligible for a fifth straight season. It’s not exactly the conference title the Panthers talked about in August, but it’s something.