OT: D1

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Will Venables is the new coach at Oklahoma.

Miami has officially fired Manny Diaz.

[IUP24]

Will Venables is the new coach at Oklahoma.

Miami has officially fired Manny Diaz.

Brett*

Tony Elliot, the Clemson OC, is also a finalist for the Duke HC job. Could be some changes coming for Dabo. Sometimes change is good. Brett and Tony have been great coordinators for him. Could result in a step back for Dabo, maybe not.

The Manny Diaz situation at Miami was such as a mess. Feel bad for the guy in regards to how they handled that with him. But that's par for the course with Miami.

Every time they hire a coach, "this is the guy that's going to get the U back." We thought that with Mark Richt. Everybody said that about Manny Diaz. Problem in Miami isn't the coach. It's the distractions. Especially now with this NIL stuff. I'm pretty plugged into the D1 college football talk around the country, and in particular, the ACC. Car dealerships down there had players for Miami missing practice/meetings to do commercial spots and radio ads with them. Was an absolute mess.

Miami's never stopped recruiting well. They have the talent to beat anybody in the country on a given day. But they just can't silence the outside noise - not sure Crisotbal will be able to do that. Until he does, I'll assume it'll be wash, rinse, and repeat with him.

[IUP24]

There was no mention of it Saturday night. But congrats to Pat Narduzzi and to Pitt. I know there's a lot of Penn Staters who frequent this thread. I know there's a lot of Pitt fans who hate Narduzzi who post on this thread. And, of course, I know there's others who don't really like D1 football who come on here and just bash the program, coach, and fans at every opportunity.

But what a great moment for Pitt fans - we're the black sheep of the Pitt, Penn State, WVU trifecta. That's a small fan base. It's not that large of a school. And it doesn't have a massive alumni base around the country. But the core group of fans who support and follow the program are about as loyal and die-hard as you can get. I'm glad I was raised to be a Pitt fan. For all of the crap I've put up with from my PSU friends all of my life... For all of the gut punches and heartache that program has given me over the years... Saturday felt so good. This season has been very special.

There were no flukes about this whatsoever. Do you know why Pitt played Wake Forest in the ACC Championship Game and not Clemson? Because Pitt beat Clemson on October 23. They stared down the boogeyman of this league and beat them. That loss kept thousands of orange-clad fans from driving two hours north to Charlotte. Pitt took care of their own business. Bottom line. Winning your division outright and then winning a conference title game is a MASSIVE accomplishment in a P5 league.

Narduzzi's detractors will say he's not a good coach or that he should have been fired a couple years ago. All things considered, his tenure at Pitt has been fine. He's been around for 7 years now, and you're seeing the fruits of that labor, consistency, and patience pay off. He did it with 3 star guys. And he did it the right way. That takes longer. He's recruiting at a nice level and bringing quality players into the program. In a transfer portal world, Pitt's retention rate for players is among the best in college football. He's got great depth at so many positions. The development of guys in that program is undeniable. Complain about his gameday antics, his X's and O's, his quotes in the media, etc... Pat Narduzzi gets the absolute most of every almost every single guy he brings into the program. There are better "coaches" on Saturday, but Narduzzi has shown an excellent job at maximizing what he recruits. Coaches paid A LOT more can't say that.

In the last 4 years, they've won the Coastal 2X and have won the ACC Championship. Since joining the league, no programs other than Clemson or Florida State have won more games in the ACC than Pitt. They've gone into every historic venue of this conference and won. Right now, Pat Narduzzi has Pitt as a Top 5 program in the ACC. I have no idea what happens moving forward. Pitt has a lot coming back on both sides of the ball next year. They'll lose some key guys, sure, but they return some key players as well. Will be interesting to see what they do at the QB position. Is Davis Beville or Nick Patti the guy to step in, or are they able to attract a big QB through the portal? With what they return, and given the offense they run, they can definitely be a destination. If they get good QB play next year, Pitt can be pretty good again.

[IUPNation]

[Fightingscot82]

I'm not a Pitt fan, but I'm happy for Pitt, Narduzzi, and everyone else. I like Heather Lyke. I think she was the right person at the right time. I also agreed with the Narduzzi extension and don't have a problem with him. I do wish that Pitt football had better attendance and better moral support from the region. I haven't followed this year but I caught some of the game on Saturday. Pitt looked good. I hope Pickett wins the Heisman. Yeah, I do think he'd be a good fit for the Steelers.

[IUP24]

I'm not a Pitt fan, but I'm happy for Pitt, Narduzzi, and everyone else. I like Heather Lyke. I think she was the right person at the right time. I also agreed with the Narduzzi extension and don't have a problem with him. I do wish that Pitt football had better attendance and better moral support from the region. I haven't followed this year but I caught some of the game on Saturday. Pitt looked good. I hope Pickett wins the Heisman. Yeah, I do think he'd be a good fit for the Steelers.

[IUP24]

That was a unique decision to give him that extension for sure.

[Fightingscot82]

The total number for me isn't important as fill rate. Penn State can fill or be nearly full for Bowling Green. Pitt could play the same non conference schedule and people would complain. Honestly, I think a lot of people got spoiled by Notre Dame, Penn State, and WVU annually.

[IUP24]

The total number for me isn't important as fill rate. Penn State can fill or be nearly full for Bowling Green. Pitt could play the same non conference schedule and people would complain. Honestly, I think a lot of people got spoiled by Notre Dame, Penn State, and WVU annually.

[Bart]

Notre Dame hired the DC has new HC. Kelly seems like a real jerk. Reports he had a 2 minute meeting with the team and no questions before walking out per AD. SI reports that is his history going back to Grand Valley.

https://www.si.com/college/2021/11/3...e-dame-for-lsu

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Notre Dame hired the DC has new HC. Kelly seems like a real jerk. Reports he had a 2 minute meeting with the team and no questions before walking out per AD. SI reports that is his history going back to Grand Valley.

https://www.si.com/college/2021/11/3...e-dame-for-lsu

That's 2 more minutes than some spend on their way out.

Breaking up is hard to do. Short and simple.

It is why I chuckle every time these P5 coaches talk about loyalty.

[Bart]

That's 2 more minutes than some spend on their way out.

Breaking up is hard to do. Short and simple.

It is why I chuckle every time these P5 coaches talk about loyalty.

I guess when you think about it, head coaches are no better than used car salesmen.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

I guess when you think about it, head coaches are no better than used car salesmen.

Only they make $9m a year. But, yes.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Horns with Hearts ... a Texas big money club ... announced today it will give $50,000 to each scholarship OL starting next Fall. It apparently falls under the NLI guidelines.

That will help recruiting a bit.

[ctrabs74]

There was no mention of it Saturday night. But congrats to Pat Narduzzi and to Pitt. I know there's a lot of Penn Staters who frequent this thread. I know there's a lot of Pitt fans who hate Narduzzi who post on this thread. And, of course, I know there's others who don't really like D1 football who come on here and just bash the program, coach, and fans at every opportunity.

...

There were no flukes about this whatsoever. Do you know why Pitt played Wake Forest in the ACC Championship Game and not Clemson? Because Pitt beat Clemson on October 23. They stared down the boogeyman of this league and beat them. That loss kept thousands of orange-clad fans from driving two hours north to Charlotte. Pitt took care of their own business. Bottom line. Winning your division outright and then winning a conference title game is a MASSIVE accomplishment in a P5 league.

...

In the last 4 years, they've won the Coastal 2X and have won the ACC Championship. Since joining the league, no programs other than Clemson or Florida State have won more games in the ACC than Pitt. They've gone into every historic venue of this conference and won. Right now, Pat Narduzzi has Pitt as a Top 5 program in the ACC. I have no idea what happens moving forward. Pitt has a lot coming back on both sides of the ball next year. They'll lose some key guys, sure, but they return some key players as well. Will be interesting to see what they do at the QB position. Is Davis Beville or Nick Patti the guy to step in, or are they able to attract a big QB through the portal? With what they return, and given the offense they run, they can definitely be a destination. If they get good QB play next year, Pitt can be pretty good again.

I get that Clemson had a really bad season (by their standards), but still, beating Clemson is kind of a big deal, the last time I checked. Is this season's success sustainable in Oakland? Hard to say, but you can't take away the fact that Pitt actually won a Power Five conference football title, even if the ACC is close to the worst of the current P5 leagues (I rank the P5 leagues as follows: SEC, Big Ten, Big 12, PAC-12 (B12/P12 could easily be flipped, but the Big 12 seems to be in a better position for on the field success even with Texas/Oklahoma leaving).