No. 7 Penn State Nittany Lions vs. No. 6 Wisconsin Badgers The Records: Penn State (10-2, 8-1 Big Ten); Wisconsin (10-2, 7-2 Big Ten) The Head Coaches: Penn State: James Franklin, third season, 48-29 overall, 24-14 at Penn State; Wisconsin: Paul Chryst, 39-24 record overall, 20-5 at Wisconsin. The Game: For the first time in program history, Penn State will be competing in the Big Ten Championship game Saturday evening when the team takes on Big Ten West division champion ... Read More
Paul Chryst leaves Pitt for Wisconsin
Pitt head coach Paul Chryst is now the former Pitt head coach as Chryst has officially accepted an offer to become the new head coach of the Wisconsin Badgers, ending days of speculation that a deal was done. Wisconsin AD Barry Alvarez targeted Chryst, who has ties to the Wisconsin program, almost immediately when Gary Anderson left the Badgers to take the Oregon State job. Chryst is a Wisconsin boy, who now has the opportunity to return to his alma mater, but return home as well. He was a ... Read More
10 candidates to become next Pitt head coach
With Paul Chryst all but out the door as the Pitt head coach, as an official announcement is expected to be made Wednesday evening, it’s time to focus on filling the void on the Pitt sidelines. As the Panthers search for their fifth head coach since 2010, several names stand out as who should be considered serious candidates to land the job. With that being said, here’s a look at 10 strong candidates that current Pitt AD Steve Pederson should have on speed dial. Greg Schiano- I know for ... Read More
Steve Pederson should follow Paul Chryst out the door
Per sources, Paul Chryst bolting Pitt for the Wisconsin job is a done deal and will become official Wednesday night at a 7 p.m. EST press conference in Madison. With that news, Pitt chancellor Patrick Gallagher is presented with a golden opportunity, one that likely wouldn’t have come along if Chryst had stayed aboard. He can hire his own man. By that I’m not necessarily talking about a football coach, but more importantly Gallagher has the opportunity to start fresh with his own ... Read More
Paul Chryst ‘Decision’ leaving Pitt in limbo
If and when current Pitt football coach Paul Chryst accepts the job at Wisconsin, likely as early as Wednesday, the Panthers will have lost more than just a coach. They are also losing out on valuable time, not only in a busy recruiting period, but valuable time in hiring a new head coach as well. There’s nothing Chryst can do about the situation to help the Panthers, other than announce he is staying at Pitt, as the Panthers have been in limbo for close to a week now. During that time, ... Read More
Paul Chryst to Wisconsin a strong possibility
With this week’s news that former Wisconsin football coach Gary Anderson has accepted the same position at Oregon State, all eyes and ears will be focused on Badgers’ AD Barry Alvarez’s search. And that search very well could lead to Pitt head coach Paul Chryst. If offered the job, for Chryst the decision should be a no-brainer. He should be on the first flight to Madison and not think twice about doing so. There’s nothing wrong with a coach like Chryst leaving Pitt for what is ... Read More
James Conner’s status still in air for Miami
Saturday night, the Pitt Panthers football team will essentially be playing a playoff game as a win vs. the Miami Hurricanes will get the Panthers bowl eligible while a loss will send Pitt home with a disappointing 5-7 record to a 2014 season that many felt had some promise coming in. With that game just two days away, the Panthers still don’t know if they will be taking the field with one of their best offensive weapons. Pitt head coach Paul Chryst has yet to confirm the status of running ... Read More
Pitt sends senior class out on positive note
While the upcoming week for the Pitt Panthers football team is being described as a playoff game by many in their locker room, as a win at Miami will make the Panthers bowl eligible, last Saturday's 30-7 win against Syracuse was something pretty special. Special for the Pitt seniors, who ran through that tunnel at Heinz Field for the final time. As a reporter I often like to find stories with real life �emotion attached to them and getting to watch seniors play their final home game is ... Read More
Pitt breaks losing streak with win over Syracuse
Not a lot has gone right for the Pitt Panthers football team lately, but Saturday afternoon, they put together a solid all-around performance in a 30-7 victory over longtime foe Syracuse. The Panthers not only put an end to their three-game losing streak, but in the process kept their slim bowl hopes alive for at least one more week. “It was a good win,” said Pitt head coach Paul Chryst. “The last couple weeks haven’t been easy, but the guys keep staying strong and kept their focus. It was ... Read More
Pitt must get defensive with bowl hopes on the line
Entering the 2014 season, the one thing on paper that you could have pointed to that could cost the Pitt Panthers in a major way was their defense, in particular their secondary, which was dinged up by injuries, defections and suspensions. Yet on paper halfway through the season it looked as if the Panthers defense was playing particularly well as they were ranked as one of the better all-around units in the nation. But sometimes numbers lie and this was certainly one of those ... Read More