PITTSBURGH — So much for going out in a blaze of glory.
Pittsburgh and Syracuse started the year by telling the Big East they’re bolting for the ACC the next chance they get. Their conference brethren spent the next three months making sure the Orange (5-6, 1-5 Big East) or the Panthers (5-6, 3-3) didn’t walk away with a league title in hand.
The two underachievers meet Saturday in the regular season finale of what could be the final Big East game for both schools not playing for a conference title but merely the chance to keep playing.
The winner gets a bowl bid. The loser gets an early jump on what will certainly be a turbulent offseason as the details on when it can legally move to the ACC, by 2014 at the latest but perhaps as soon as next year depending on a variety of factors.
The players can’t control the politics. They can control whether their season ends this weekend or not.
“It’s like a playoff game, really,” Syracuse running back Antwon Bailey said. “If we win, we’re in. If we lose, we’re out. We got everything on the table.”
The Panthers and the Orange both pointed to the power of the Atlantic Coast Conference when announcing the move in September, starting a domino effect that has left the Big East’s future very much in doubt.
Thing is, neither have really played like they’re ready for a perceived step up in competition.
First-year Pitt coach Todd Graham’s “high octane” offense has fizzled. The offensive line can’t block, star running back Ray Graham went out with a knee injury in October and quarterback Tino Sunseri has flip-flopped between effective and erratic.
“Obviously we have not accomplished what we set out to,” Graham said.
Neither have the Orange.
Syracuse stunned West Virginia 49-23 on Oct. 21, blasting the preseason conference favorites behind the dynamic playmaking of quarterback Ryan Nassib and a defense that bottled up one of the nation’s best quarterbacks in Geno Smith.
The Orange hoped the game would prove to be a warning shot that they were ready to take the next step under third-year coach Doug Marrone.
It wasn’t.
Four straight defeats followed, including blowout losses at home to South Florida and Cincinnati. A season filled with promise six weeks ago ends with the Orange needing to beat the Panthers for the first time since 2004 to qualify for a bowl game for a second consecutive year.
“We’ve talked about it,” linebacker Marquis Spruill said. “If we don’t win, we’ve got winter workouts. To start so strong, we were what? 5-2 at one point, and then to lose all these games straight, that just doesn’t sit well. This is a very important game for us.”
The Panthers too. Graham came in promising no transition period would be required as the Panthers moved from former coach Dave Wannstedt’s vanilla pro-style offense to Graham’s highly stylized uptempo attack.
He didn’t anticipate a litany of injuries, a difficult nonconference schedule that included games against Utah, Notre Dame and Iowa and the line’s inability to protect Sunseri adequately.
The Panthers have allowed 53 sacks this season, the most in the Football Bowl Subdivision by a wide margin. A patchwork offensive line and Sunseri’s struggles getting rid of the ball in a timely manner have made it difficult for Pitt to close out games.
Three times this season the Panthers built double-digit second-half leads against solid competition only to let it slip away. The most painful collapse coming last week against the Mountaineers in what could be the final Backyard Brawl.
Pitt led 20-7 at the break only to let West Virginia rally for a dramatic 21-20 victory. Sunseri, who played brilliantly in the first half, spent most of the second half on his back. He was sacked 10 times in all, nine times in Pitt’s final 25 snaps.
Graham was critical of Sunseri earlier in the season but has shifted the onus to himself in recent weeks.
“On offense our biggest challenge is at the quarterback position and getting that executed,” he said. “It’s our job to get that done.”
Getting an extra few weeks of practice while preparing for a bowl game would certainly help, both on the field and off. A victory on Saturday and perhaps another one in a bowl game would give the Panthers valuable momentum no matter what league they play in next fall.
“We’re not far off, especially when you’ve got guys that are playing and improving,” Graham said. “It’s very, very important for these seniors. It’s very, very important for our program.