#H2P... PITT IS IT! - A Pitt Panthers Dynasty (NCAA 14)

[Tearz49ers]

Re: #H2P... PITT IS IT! - A Pitt Panthers Dynasty (NCAA 14)

The win over Miami symbolizes where you have this program going, the fact it's the first time it hasn't ended in a single score and rather by eighteen clear points is a big momentum shift for your team in the ACC.

[moose141]

Re: #H2P... PITT IS IT! - A Pitt Panthers Dynasty (NCAA 14)

The win over Miami symbolizes where you have this program going, the fact it's the first time it hasn't ended in a single score and rather by eighteen clear points is a big momentum shift for your team in the ACC.

For sure! It's great to see the consistency that we have shown, not yo-yoing like we did in the second year of the dynasty. That said, this is definitely a year where we need to make the most of the talent level that we have, because the defense will definitely take a step backwards next season. What is a shame is the fact that this year almost feels like a missed opportunity right now, because that second loss to Louisville really looks horrible on the resume after they ended up finishing the season at 5-7.

[moose141]

Re: #H2P... PITT IS IT! - A Pitt Panthers Dynasty (NCAA 14)



National News and Notes: Week 15
Report by Matt Schmidlin | December 8, 2019

-- The Big XII has managed to muddy the playoff waters even further. The murkiest scenario possible emerged from yesterday's action, as Texas beat Kansas State handily, 52-21, and Oklahoma thrashed Oklahoma State, 48-14, clinching the conference title for the Longhorns through the head to head tiebreaker with Kansas State. However, it leaves the Big XII champion with a 10-2 record (and actually four 10-2 teams overall), hardly providing strong evidence for a playoff berth. If any more mayhem is produced on championship Saturday, the playoff committee could have some interesting choices to make.

-- Navy salvaged a fairly dismal campaign by beating their archrivals Army, 37-17, in their annual showdown. The win for Navy pushed them to 5-7 on the season, while Army will be disappointed with the loss but does finish the season 9-3 and will be bowling somewhere.

-- Arkansas State capped off another sensational year, narrowly beating Texas State to finish the regular season 11-1 and seal the Sun Belt title for the second time in three years. The Red Wolves have been one of the nation's most successful teams over the last four seasons, compiling a 42-9 record since 2016, including a 34-4 mark in the last three seasons.

UP NEXT: Conference Championship Week Preview

[moose141]

Re: #H2P... PITT IS IT! - A Pitt Panthers Dynasty (NCAA 14)



Conference Championship Week Preview
Report by Matt Schmidlin | December 10, 2018

With Kansas State faltering and losing the Big XII title to Texas, there aren't any playoff spots locked up at this point. Two of last year's semifinalists are still in the hunt, while multiple schools that narrowly missed out last season are looking to seal their trips to the national semifinals. Let's take a look at the eight games that will determine conference bragging rights and set the playoff field.


ACC Championship Game -- Charlotte, NC
#8 Pittsburgh 10-2 (7-1)
#6 NC State 11-1 (7-1)

NC State looks to be a win and they're in playoff contender, as the #6 ranked Wolfpack take on defending ACC champions Pittsburgh. The Panthers look to state their case for a return to the CFP with a convincing win, hoping that some other results will fall their way to give them an opportunity despite their pair of losses. The game sets up to be a low scoring struggle, as both team's feature top-6 ranked defenses in terms of yardage allowed per game across the nation.



American Championship Game -- Houston, TX
UCF 10-2 (7-1)
#11 Houston 11-1 (7-1)

UCF has seen a resurgence in the past two seasons. After finishing 1-11 in 2016 and 2-10 in 2017, the Knights went 7-6 in 2018 and now enter conference championship week with an 8 win swing over the course of just two seasons. They will face #11 Houston in the American title game, who has been dominant offensively this season but untested, somehow managing to face three FCS schools on their non-conference slate. The matchup should be a fun one under center, with Pitt transfer Ben DiNucci leading a potent UCF pass game against the sensation dual threat D'Eriq King of the Cougars.



Big Ten Championship Game -- Indianapolis, IN
#24 Wisconsin 9-3 (7-2)
#2 Ohio State 12-0 (9-0)

After being snubbed for last year's playoff and finishing in the #5 seeding, Ohio State looks to be a shoo in for the tournament this campaign, no matter what the result of this game is. The Buckeyes will be missing HB Mike Weber, but are led by junior QB Dwayne Haskins and will have HB Antonio Williams in the backfield, who has been a stellar deputy so far this season as Ohio State has fielded the #3 ranked offense in the nation. Alex Hornibrook has led a solid Wisconsin offense, but will have to take on the country's #8 ranked defensive unit. Wisconsin's biggest hope will be to play takeaway, as they ranked top in the country in turnover margin.



Conference USA Championship Game -- Birmingham, AL
Western Kentucky 6-6 (6-3)
#3 UAB 12-0 (9-0)

The Blazers have been a Cinderella story all season, and despite their unbeaten record will most likely need some results to fall their way to have a chance at a playoff berth. The Blazers will likely come out guns blazing (pun intended), as QB John Jacobs has led the nation's second most prolific passing attack, trailing only top ranked LSU and likely Heisman winner Joe Burrow.



MAC Championship Game -- Detroit, MI
Western Michigan 9-3 (7-1)
Ohio 10-2 (8-0)

Ohio looks to repeat as MAC champions and complete their most dominant season in school history since their 1968 Tangerine Bowl squad that went 10-1. Quinton Maxwell helms the 5th-ranked aerial attack against a stingy Western Michigan defense that is ranked 4th against the pass this season, while being tied with Wisconsin at the top of the country in turnover margin.



Mountain West Championship Game -- San Diego, CA
Boise State 9-3 (7-1)
San Diego State 10-2 (7-1)

After a surprising down year last season, Boise State has been revived under new HC Jonathan Smith and former Cal transfer QB Ross Bowers. The Broncos will head away to SoCal to take on San Diego State and their prolific rushing attack, currently clocking in at #9 in the national rankings for yardage.



PAC-12 Championship Game -- Los Angeles, CA
Oregon 9-3 (7-2)
#5 UCLA 11-1 (8-1)

UCLA will look to not let a playoff berth slip through their fingers for the second straight year, after they saw any chance of making the playoff in 2018 slip through their fingers with a weak schedule and PAC-12 championship loss to eventual national champions Washington. The Bruins likely will sneak in with a win, and will have the benefit of starting QB Devin Modster returning to lead the nation's #2 ranked offense on Saturday. On the flip side, Oregon has been massively underrated this season, fielding both a top-15 offense and top-30 defense this year, though they will be missing star QB Justin Herbert for this contest to injury. Junior QB Sam Miller will start for the Ducks in his place.



SEC Championship Game -- Atlanta, GA
#14 Georgia 10-2 (7-1)
#1 LSU 12-0 (8-0)

LSU finds themselves in their third straight SEC title game, having lost to Tennessee in 2017 and then beaten the Vols last season. This year the Tigers will take on the Georgia Bulldogs, who look to play spoiler to the Tigers, who have entered the SEC championship with a perfect record in each of the last three seasons. LSU fields a pair of Heisman contenders in QB Joe Burrow and HB Nick Brossette in the nation's top ranked offense, while their defense is no slouch either, with the 5th best defense against the run and the #20 ranked unit overall. The Bulldogs will have their hands full if they hope to derail the Bayou juggernaut.



Conference Championships Already Determined:
Big XII - #7 Texas 10-2 (8-1), Sun Belt - #18 Arkansas State 11-1 (8-0)

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
Check out this past week's #PANTHERNATION recap show where we discussed and previewed all eight conference title matchups in the back half of the episode.

[moose141]

Re: #H2P... PITT IS IT! - A Pitt Panthers Dynasty (NCAA 14)



ACC CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW
Report by Matt Schmidlin | December 12, 2019

What: #9 Pitt (10-2, 7-1) vs. #6 NC State (11-1, 7-1)
Where: Bank of America Field, Charlotte, NC
When: Saturday, December 14, 2019, 8:00 PM EST

Game Line Pres. by FanDuel: NC State (-3.5)
ESPN Prediction: NC State

Last Meeting (2009): 38-31 NC State
All Time Series: 5-3-1 Pitt
Dynasty Series: First Meeting

What to Watch

Looking in a Mirror

After sporting one of the nation's most prolific rushing attacks last season, as the Pitt Panthers survey their upcoming opponents, the NC State Wolfpack, they see a lot of themselves in their attack.

"They love to pound the football," Pitt HC Pat Narduzzi said. "It's a smashmouth style of football that we know a lot about, and so hopefully we will know how to defend it. We've done well against the run this year, but this will be our guys' toughest test on that front, no doubt about it."

While Pitt fields the nation's best run defense, allowing just a shade under 100 yards per game (99.2), they haven't come up against an attack like this. Under first year coach Tom Herman, who came over from Houston after Robert Prunty took the USC job this past offseason, the Wolfpack have leaned on their best player, workhorse senior halfback Johnny Frasier. Frasier has put together a sensational season, averaging 108.8 yards per game while adding 13 touchdowns on the ground, as he has tallied his second 1000-yard rushing season of his career. He has been the model of consistency, as he has tallied 3283 yards on the ground in his career while never carrying for a single carry longer than 19 yards, which is incredible when you think that Frasier has 556 career carries and a very solid 5.9 yard average.

"The guy does not go backwards," Narduzzi said. "He is a big bruiser, and he plows through the line and gets solid chunks on basically every carry. Our job will just be to make those chunks as small as possible so that they have to adjust and find some other way to try and beat us."

While Frasier is the main man for the Wolfpack, they have plenty of other options to run the football. Sophomore HB Edwin Baker has added 756 yards (63.0 YPG) on the season, while QB Jakobi Myers has the ability to beat you with his legs as well as his arm. The senior adds 47.3 YPG to the Wolfpack ground game, while passing for 187.2 YPG as well. The one area where Myers has been prone to mistakes though is through the air, as he has thrown 13 INTs on the season to go along with his 24 TDs. The Panthers have multiple INTs in each of their last three contests, and will hope to snag a few more to derail the Wolfpack's playoff hopes.

Defense Wins Championships

Both defenses that will be on display on Saturday night are among the nation's best, each ranking inside the top-6 based on yardage allowed.

The Panthers field the nation's top run defense and #6 defense overall, which will match up nicely against the Wolfpack ground and pound game. Conversely, NC State trots out the #2 overall defensive unit, reknowned for being stellar against the pass (#2-ranked), who will face off against the more aerially inclined Pitt Panthers. Both schools also ranked in the top-10 nationally in terms of turnover differential, meaning either one of these defenses could find a way to steal a victory for their squad.

What to Expect on the Field on Saturday



Who do you think comes out on top: Pitt or NC State?

[Careless Whisper]

Re: #H2P... PITT IS IT! - A Pitt Panthers Dynasty (NCAA 14)

NC State just looks very solid on both sides of the ball, easy to see why they went 11-1 - although that does seem strange, the Wolfpack being a CFP contender! I've got Pitt in a classic.

[moose141]

Re: #H2P... PITT IS IT! - A Pitt Panthers Dynasty (NCAA 14)



LIVE LOOK IN: CC WEEK
Report by Matt Schmidlin | December 14, 2019

As we near kickoff for your Pitt Panthers as they take on the NC State Wolfpack, let's take a live look in around the country at the NCAA Scoreboard as one more school has seemingly punched their ticket to the College Football Playoff!

FINAL SCORES

American Championship Game -- Houston, TX -- FINAL
UCF 11-2 (7-1) -- 31
#11 Houston 11-2 (7-1) -- 28

The UCF ground game took center stage, as the Knights ran for 215 yards en route to an American conference championship. D'Eriq King threw for a score and ran for two TDs in the losing effort for Houston, who lost in the American championship for the second straight season. Former Pitt QB Ben DiNucci tossed for a score and ran in a score in the win for UCF.

Conference USA Championship Game -- Birmingham, AL -- FINAL
Western Kentucky 6-7 (6-3) -- 31
#3 UAB 13-0 (9-0) -- 35

Nearly down and out, UAB used two fourth quarter touchdowns to complete a come from behind victory to seal an undefeated season and state their case for a CFP berth. The Blazers scored the winning touchdown with just 1:01 to play in the fourth quarter, with John Jacobs throwing his fourth TD on the day in the win.

SEC Championship Game -- Atlanta, GA -- FINAL
#14 Georgia 10-3 (7-1) -- 28
#1 LSU 13-0 (8-0) -- 34

LSU overcame a minor injury to Heisman favorite Joe Burrow early in the second quarter and held off a furious rally to clinch their second straight SEC title, beating Georgia, 34-28. Burrow ran for a TD in first quarter as LSU built a 21-0 advantage, but left in discomfort in the second quarter. Leslie Scott, Jr. came in and ran for a score to push the LSU lead to 28-7 in the first half. After leading 28-14 at the midpoint, LSU withstood a Georgia comeback and used a pair of second half field goals to outlast the Bulldogs.

IN PROGRESS

Mountain West Championship Game -- San Diego, CA -- 8:30 2ND QUARTER
Boise State 9-3 (7-1) -- 21
San Diego State 10-2 (7-1) -- 7

COMING UP

ACC Championship Game -- Charlotte, NC -- 8:00 PM
#8 Pittsburgh 10-2 (7-1)
#6 NC State 11-1 (7-1)

Big Ten Championship Game -- Indianapolis, IN -- 8:00 PM
#24 Wisconsin 9-3 (7-2)
#2 Ohio State 12-0 (9-0)

MAC Championship Game -- Detroit, MI -- 8:00 PM
Western Michigan 9-3 (7-1)
Ohio 10-2 (8-0)

PAC-12 Championship Game -- Los Angeles, CA -- 8:00 PM
Oregon 9-3 (7-2)
#5 UCLA 11-1 (8-1)

UP NEXT
Pitt vs. NC State live on ABC!

[moose141]

Re: #H2P... PITT IS IT! - A Pitt Panthers Dynasty (NCAA 14)



BACK (H)2(P) BACK?
Season 4, ACC Championship: #8 Pitt (10-2, 7-1 ACC) vs. #6 NC State (11-1, 7-1 ACC)
Video report by Matt Schmidlin | December 14, 2019



Game Recap


Rapid Reaction

Did They Do Enough?

Pat Narduzzi acknowledged that everything for the next few days is really just beyond his control.

"It's out of our hands, really," the Panthers head coach said. "We've done everything we can do, and I'm so proud of what our guys have accomplished this year, no matter what happens. I'm not gonna go out and campaign or anything, but I think our play on the field this year has shown that we're one of the best football teams in this nation."

With the victory, the Panthers hope to have convinced the College Football Playoff selection committee that they are deserving of the opportunity to play for their 10th national title, and first since 1976. Pitt earned the #4 seed in the playoff field last season, losing to eventual national champion Washington in the national semifinal.

NCAA Scoreboard

Mountain West Championship Game -- San Diego, CA -- FINAL
Boise State 10-3 (7-1) -- 41
San Diego State 10-3 (7-1) -- 27

Led by a 4 TD performance from Ross Bowers, the Boise State Broncos reclaimed the Mountain West championship, knocking off the San Diego State Aztecs. The Broncos also had a pair of 100 yard rushing performances, as Alexander Mattison ran for 110 yards and a score and Jake Shaddox added 106 yards in the victory. The Boise win was a reversal of the 2017 MWC title game, where San Diego State emerged victorious over the Broncos.

Big Ten Championship Game -- Indianapolis, IN -- FINAL
#24 Wisconsin 9-4 (7-2) -- 27
#2 Ohio State 13-0 (9-0) -- 38

Ohio State escaped upset alert in Indy after trailing with under six minutes to play, scoring a pair of Antonio Williams touchdowns to pull out a comeback victory over Wisconsin and win the Big Ten. Williams, starting in place of injured HB Mike Weber, ran for 136 yards and a trio of touchdowns, while Dwayne Haskins through for 266 yards and a pair of scores in the win. The victory also gave the Buckeyes revenge on the Badgers for their 2017 title game loss.

MAC Championship Game -- Detroit, MI -- FINAL
Western Michigan 9-4 (7-1) -- 31
Ohio 11-2 (8-0) -- 37

Quinton Maxwell threw for 301 yards and three scores to lead Ohio to their tenth straight victory, as they won their second straight MAC title, beating Western Michigan. It was Maxwell's second straight MAC Championship game MVP, as he also ran for a team leading 80 yards. In a crazy trend, it was another inverse of a 2017 title game, when Western Michigan had beaten the Bobcats.

PAC-12 Championship Game -- Los Angeles, CA -- FINAL
Oregon 10-3 (7-2) -- 28
#5 UCLA 11-2 (8-1) -- 21

Starting in place of Justin Herbert, junior Sam Miller stole the show for Oregon as they handed UCLA their second straight PAC-12 championship defeat and knocked them from contention for a playoff berth. Miller was a bit erratic, completing only 44 percent of his passes, but did manage to throw for a pair of TDs while adding 92 yards and a score on the ground, including the deciding score on a 5 yard scamper in the 4th quarter. Ohio State transfer Demario McCall added 81 rushing yards in the Ducks' victory.

Photo Gallery

[Deuce2223]

Re: #H2P... PITT IS IT! - A Pitt Panthers Dynasty (NCAA 14)

Congrats on the title.. Excited to see BSU win the MWC, I don't know who Bowers is but I like him and I assume Oregon won the Pac-12 but the final score said 21-21.

[Careless Whisper]

Re: #H2P... PITT IS IT! - A Pitt Panthers Dynasty (NCAA 14)

Congrats on the back-to-back ACC titles! Really grinded that one out it seems like, hoping the CFP committee thinks you did enough to put you in.

Side note: Those road unis really pop under the lights.

[Miles Perry]

Re: #H2P... PITT IS IT! - A Pitt Panthers Dynasty (NCAA 14)

Big win to secure the conference title. Love seeing a low-scoring, defensive battle every now and then... Will it be enough to get in to the top 4??

[Tearz49ers]

Re: #H2P... PITT IS IT! - A Pitt Panthers Dynasty (NCAA 14)

Congrats on the ACC title, now we just have to cross everything that something happens ahead of you in order for you to get in!!

[moose141]

Re: #H2P... PITT IS IT! - A Pitt Panthers Dynasty (NCAA 14)

Congrats on the title.. Excited to see BSU win the MWC, I don't know who Bowers is but I like him and I assume Oregon won the Pac-12 but the final score said 21-21.

Thanks Deuce! I figured you would enjoy the Boise result, haha, Bowers was a senior who was going to be Cal's backup QB so I used the editor to grad transfer him to Boise since their starting options were pretty subpar. He ended up putting together a pretty solid year. Yeah, thanks for the catch on that, Oregon did win! Definitely throwing another win in the playoff picture.

NC State just looks very solid on both sides of the ball, easy to see why they went 11-1 - although that does seem strange, the Wolfpack being a CFP contender! I've got Pitt in a classic.

Congrats on the back-to-back ACC titles! Really grinded that one out it seems like, hoping the CFP committee thinks you did enough to put you in.

Side note: Those road unis really pop under the lights.

Definitely right that it was a tight game! Could've been an even greater classic had NC State gotten one final drive to try to tie or win. If you want to see a true classic, go back to season 1 and watch our ACC Championship game versus Clemson. It was one of the best games that I've played on NCAA, so intense and came right down to the wire, definitely a true instant classic.

Speaking of instant classics, I may need to do a Top 5 or 10 games ranking or something for games in this dynasty, because we have had some unreal matchups play out over the 4 seasons that have taken place so far. It would be a cool lookback, especially for those of you that may not have been around for the first couple seasons, since I've kinda stretched things out with a few random hiatuses haha. Agree also on the jerseys, thanks for the props on that! The whites actually have come out really nice, I think the contrast with the bright yellow really makes them look pretty slick.

Congrats on the ACC title, now we just have to cross everything that something happens ahead of you in order for you to get in!!

Big win to secure the conference title. Love seeing a low-scoring, defensive battle every now and then... Will it be enough to get in to the top 4??

Thanks Tearz and Miles! It was a fun but nervewracking game, as both teams moved the ball decently well, but all the drives seemed to flame out. It seems like we've had a lot of those down the stretch!

Yeah, there is definitely going to be some controversy for the final playoff spots. We've got teams who beat everyone they needed to, but their schedule was weak, versus teams who lost a bit more but played better schedules or were more dominant. And the question of how much does a conference title really matter. So much to sort out! (And you guys are gonna get the chance to help!)

[moose141]

Re: #H2P... PITT IS IT! - A Pitt Panthers Dynasty (NCAA 14)



SOUND OFF: WHO GETS IN?
Report by Matt Schmidlin | December 15, 2019

After yet another incredible season of college football, the playoff selection committee has an incredibly tough decision to make to decide what schools should have the opportunity to play for the nation's ultimate prize!

With LSU and Ohio State seemingly punching their tickets by finishing undefeated and as champions of their respective conferences, only two seeds look to be up for grabs, with four teams in the hunt for those two slots.

We want you to sound off on your opinions on who should get into the playoff! To try to remove any biases, we have presented to school's resumes without their names, though it may not be terribly hard for you to deduce which schools are which. Try not to worry about the schools in question and vote for the two schools that you think are most deserving of the right to make college football's most prestigious tournament!

Click HERE to vote for who should get in as the third and fourth seeds!

SOUND OFF in the comments as to what pair you voted for and why!

[Deuce2223]

Re: #H2P... PITT IS IT! - A Pitt Panthers Dynasty (NCAA 14)

Personally for me it's a easy choice. C has to get in with the perfect 13-0 record, despite their opponents win loss. I can't stand watching non-power 5 schools get hosed on a perfect season just because they are not a member of the elite.

With that said though I also feel like D has to get in even though they have 2 loss's they have played the toughest schedule and a 7-1 record vs Top-30 teams proves they deserve a shot a proving they are one of the nation's best teams even if they don't win sexy (looks to me like the defense carried them in most games)