Pitt started the season with nationalchampionship hopes. Sure, they would have needed a lot of… Pitt started the season with national championship hopes. Sure, they would have needed a lot of other teams to fall, and the opening loss to Utah didn’t help. But there was hope.

Not anymore.

After Thursday’s debacle against Miami, all hope is lost for the Panthers’ national championship dreams. In fact, Pitt will be extremely lucky to win the weak Big East and make a BCS bowl.

So for this week’s top 10, I give you the best teams for Pitt fans to root for throughout the rest of the season.

10. West Virginia — I know, it’s difficult to root for the Mountaineers, and Pitt fans obviously won’t be on their side Nov. 26 when they visit Heinz Field. But the Big East is looking pretty pathetic now that every single team has a loss and it’s only week 4. West Virginia is the only team left that can make the conference look good. The Mountaineers just lost a close one on the road at LSU. But if WVU wins the Big East, a loss to an SEC power won’t be very detrimental. And if WVU can win a BCS bowl game, it could be considered a successful year for the Big East.

9. USC – ­ The California school is currently under NCAA sanctions for major violations from the Reggie Bush era and is currently serving a two-year bowl ban. How hilarious would it be if USC went undefeated and still couldn’t be eligible for the national championship?

8. Villanova — The Big East officially invited Villanova to join its football conference a few weeks ago. With the weak state of the conference in recent years, no major Football Bowl Subdivision schools will be knocking on the door to join. So the only hope the conference has is to invite the best Football Championship Subdivision school. Villanova won the FCS national championship last year, and the Wildcats are currently ranked No. 2 in the subdivision. All Big East fans should root for Villanova to repeat.

7. Ohio State — Remember how you felt last April when West Virginia made the Final Four? Well, wouldn’t it be great to see Penn State fans feel the same way?

6. Miami — If Miami can run the table and finish 11-1 with its only loss being at No. 2 Ohio State, Pitt’s crushing home loss to the Hurricanes won’t seem so bad. It will certainly still feel bad, and Pitt fans will never quite get that taste out of their mouths, but let’s be honest, most of the college-football world isn’t paying attention to Pitt. If people see that Pitt gave up a blowout game to an 11-1 Miami team, the loss will be more understandable.

5. Oregon — With USC out of the bowl picture for once, other PAC-10 teams finally have a chance to make a name for themselves. Oregon, ranked No. 4,  is currently in the best position to do that. And besides, how can you not root for a team called the Ducks?

4. Michigan — The reason to root for the Wolverines is twofold. First, Denard Robinson — injury withstanding — is an exceptional quarterback and is extremely entertaining to watch. Second, it would really tick off West Virginia fans if Rich Rodriguez won a BCS bowl game, or even a national title, with Michigan.

3. TCU — The Horned Frogs had an incredible season last year, and TCU fans were looking forward to the chance to take down a national power in a BCS bowl game. But instead, the BCS pitted TCU against Boise State in the Kids Table Bowl ­­— oops, I mean the Sugar Bowl. TCU is currently ranked No. 5 and has legitimate national-championship hopes.

2. Utah — If you’re cheering for Miami to make Pitt’s loss look bad, and you’re cheering for TCU because they’re the underdog, then you’ll love Utah. Utah is still undefeated. And out of the non-BCS conference schools, the Utes have the toughest schedule. If they can stay undefeated, they should have a shot at the national championship game, or at least a BCS bowl. There is, admittedly, one problem: Utah and TCU have to play each other.

1. Boise State — Boise State is the ultimate underdog. Unless you’re an SEC fan, you have no reason not to cheer for the Broncos. They play an exciting style of football, and they always take risks. America fell in love with the Broncos when they stunned Oklahoma in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl — one of the greatest bowl games ever played. At No. 3, Boise state just needs to hope for either Alabama or Ohio State to lose, and they will have the inside track to the national championship game.

Sorry I couldn’t give you “10 reasons this loss isn’t the end of the world” this week like I did after the Utah loss, but I honestly couldn’t find 10 reasons.