Football: No. 13 BCS ranking highest ever for Pitt

BCS Breakthrough

Pitt’s victory over South Florida gave the Panthers their first 7-1 record… BCS Breakthrough

Pitt’s victory over South Florida gave the Panthers their first 7-1 record since 1982. Now, after a bye week, Pitt is 13th in the

Bowl Championship Series rankings.

This is the highest the Panthers have ever been in the computer-generated ratings since the BCS was established in 1998.

Cincinnati remains the highest rated Big East team, at No. 5 in the BCS with an 8-0 record. South Florida is the other Big East representative, filling the 25th slot.

The rankings are insignificant for the Panthers at this point in the season. With seven undefeated teams ranked ahead of Pitt, an at-large birth in a BCS bowl game seems unlikely.

The only definite path to playing in a BCS game is winning the Big East Conference title and receiving an automatic bid.

Pitt controls its own destiny in that regard with three conference games, including a visit from undefeated Cincinnati remaining on the schedule.

Holley Trolley

With Elijah Fields battling an ankle injury, redshirt freshman Jarred Holley has taken over starting duties as strong safety. However, as the season continues, Holley might remain in the lineup because of his performance, regardless of injuries.

Coming into training camp this summer, Holley was expected to compete for playing time at cornerback. But after Andrew Taglianetti’s torn ACL revealed a lack of depth at the safety position, Holley was moved to fill the void.

Head coach Dave Wannstedt has been pleased with the way Holley has handled being thrown into significant game situations.

“[Holley] is a very talented, smart individual,” Wannstedt said. “No one ever expected him to play this much as a redshirt freshman and … no one expected him to play at safety.

“He’s done a great job of making the transition, and that’s a real bright spot for us in the future.”

Pitt has been finding ways to get both Holley and Fields into the game simultaneously. Recently, Fields has been filling in as linebacker and getting repetitions within Pitt’s nickel package.

During his Monday press conference, Wannstedt noted that the nickel package could be something the Panthers employ, in some fashion, throughout the rest of the season.

“It depends on personnel groups. If we get three wide receivers, as physical as [Fields] is, we have no problem playing with two linebackers and him in the game,” Wannstedt said.

One Less to Cover

The task of stopping the Big East’s second-worst scoring offense just became a little easier for the Panthers.

News surfaced on Monday that Syracuse wide receiver Mike Williams has quit the football team. Williams was suspended for the Orange’s Oct. 24 game against Akron but returned to play against Cincinnati the following week.

While Syracuse (3-5, 0-3) has struggled to generate points all season, one of their lone bright spots was Williams. A senior from Buffalo, N.Y, Williams is the Big East’s leading receiver with 49 receptions for 746 yards and six touchdowns this year.

Prior to leaving the team, Williams was a semi-finalist for the Biletnikoff Award, which is given to the nation’s best receiver, and was an apparent NFL Draft prospect.

In Williams’ place, the Orange will turn to Donte Davis and Marcus Sales, who have combined this year for 32 receptions, 339 yards and four touchdowns.