So Dave Wann-stache will announce his "resignation" tonight. And can I just say, Thank God. Not that he's a bad guy, but because he's just not a good football coach. Plain and simple, the Panthers didn't win enough games under Wanny. They never really had a bad season, but they couldn't get over the hump. They underachieved annually, and couldn't make it to that next level. The program is in the exact same spot it was in 6 years ago under Walt Harris. Pitt has been in neutral while programs like Cincy under Brian Kelly, WVU under Rich Rod, and Louisville under Petrino passed them by. To be fair, Pitt has won 26 games in the past three seasons, not horrible. but the fact remains that Wannstedt was a big-game failure. I bet off the top of their heads most Pitt fans can name at least four or five bad losses in big games, without being able to name one signature, big-game win. And 13-9 against WVU doesn't count. That game was more about knocking WVU out than actually accomplishing anything for their own program. Despite having the best talent and facilities in the conference, they have not won an outright Big East title under Wannstedt. Not that they didn't come close. This is where those big-game failures come into play. They had it in the bag in '08 but lost to Cincy. They were in the top 10 last year and fell in the Backyard Brawl in the last minute, then lost to Cincy on a missed extra point. This season, as mediocre as it was, still would have resulted in a BCS berth if they had beaten either UConn or WVU, but they lost to both and finshed 7-5 and are playing in the Compass Bowl, whatever the hell that is. All the better, Pitt would have been embarrassed in a BCS game. How would that have helped recruiting? Probably about as much as getting blown out at home by WVU on national TV did this year. If ever there was a year that Wanny couldn't lose the brawl it was this one, especially in the fashion that they got trounced, with top recruits in the crowd. Honestly I'm kind of tired of hearing about what a great recruiter he was anyway. If they had so much talent why did injuries doom their season? Where is the depth? Why did this great recruiter never land a phenom at the most important position? I think a great recruiter would have gotten a marquee quarterback at some point. Maybe Terrelle Pryor. You have to land that Dorsett or Marino type local talent. You can't let that guy go. Look at his recruiting tools. The best facilities in the conference, an NFL stadium, an automatic BCS qualifying conference, and they practice right next to the Steelers. Yet the best we get is Stull and Sinseri. Come on, Dave.
With all that being said, Wannstedt was still on solid ground coming into this year. He signed an extension after a 10 win season last year and was picked as an overwhelming favorite to win the Big East. They were a preseason top 20 team. They came in flat on a season that only they, themselves could doom. And they did just that. If ever the Big East was more winnable than 2010 I can't remember it. But here we are, playing Kentucky on january 8th while a basketball school is repping the Big East in a BCS bowl. He lost the Pitt fans, and this year's Backyard Brawl was the icing on the cake for his dismissal.
Now it's not all bad. Wannstedt did a lot of good for Pitt. He was a great ambassador to the program and obviously has a deep love for the University of Pittsburgh. Nothing shows this more than the fact that he wants to stay in the athletic department, even after being canned. He took Pitt to three straight bowl games but just couldn't ever get things going enough. He's a good guy, but the fact is he wasn't the coach to get the program over the hump. To sum up Wannstedt in one word: underachiever. I'm just happy to see Pitt isn't taking the easy way out and sticking with a guy they know can't cut it just because he's under contract. For once they aren't accepting mediocrity, and I have to praise them for it.
