Coming to Pitt gives the opportunity to be a fan

As an incoming college student, chances are you are familiar with the adage, “You win some…. As an incoming college student, chances are you are familiar with the adage, “You win some. You lose some.”

As a Pitt student, the words will become creed.

If you’re like me, you knew Pitt was it long before you began the college search. Sure, the lively yet beautiful urban campus aids the attraction of a prestigious university, but there’s one aspect of life at Pitt that is infectious to all — the sports.

Pitt offers 11 varsity sports, ranging from football to swimming and diving, that compete on national levels year round. However, along with the top-flight competition comes the same kind of exposure. And what I have learned as a seasoned Pitt Panther fan is that’s not always a forgiving thing.

The first thing that comes to mind is football. Two years ago, the Panthers won the Big East Conference title with a thrilling fourth-quarter victory over archrival West Virginia in the nationally televised “Backyard Brawl” on Thanksgiving, clinching their first ever BCS Bowl berth in the Fiesta Bowl.

Life as a Panther fan was good.

But just as the momentum peaked and the Panthers were on the verge of breaking it big, they dropped it all — big time.

Alex Smith and the Utah Utes manhandled Tyler Palko and the Panthers en route to a 35-7 nationally televised beat down that led the college football community to believe Pitt really hadn’t returned to the “it” that it was 30-some odd years ago.

After some time to mourn the loss, Panther fans were once again energized. Oft-criticized head coach Walt Harris had left for the coast and Pitt filled the coaching void with Dave Wannstedt — the hometown kid, former Panther and cure-all for Pitt football.

Or so we thought.

The high expectations, along with Pitt’s pre-season #23 ranking, were short lived. After ESPN College Game Day’s Lee Corso decided the Panthers would take the night’s contest vs. Notre Dame from the show’s improvised set on Heinz Field’s front lawn, the Fighting Irish steamrolled the Panthers in front of yet another national crowd and started them on a three-game skid, setting the table for the 5-6 disappointment of a season that was last year.

The roller coaster ride doesn’t stop at the gates of Heinz Field, though.

The Petersen Events Center, Pitt’s state-of-the-art on-campus basketball arena has been the home for both the men and women’s basketball teams for the last four years. Although the arena is new, the teams that play inside it still suit up in Panther blue and gold, which means anything but certainty.

For example, the men’s basketball team has made the NCAA Tournament each of the last five years — good. But, every year the team does not succeed in surpassing its expectations, or even meeting them.

As a matter of fact, the Panthers have a knack for losing to opponents that make you scratch your head as to where they are located.

The first such loss came to Kent State in the Sweet 16 in 2002. The next year, it was Marquette to trump the Panthers in the same round. But the Golden Eagles did have Dwayne Wade, so that one’s excusable.

In 2004, after beating Wisconsin in Milwaukee in the second round, the Panthers failed to advance past the regionals when Oklahoma State brought the Pitt season to an end.

In 2005, it was an embarrassing loss at the hands of the University of the Pacific.

I’ll give you $10 if you can tell me where Pacific is on the spot, or even better, one player on the team.

And this past season, after starting 18-0 and making a run to the Big East Tournament championship game, Pitt lost to Bradley in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Another $10 if you can honestly say you heard of Bradley before this year.

Needless to say, nothing is guaranteed with Pitt sports. Some of the greatest sports memories I have come from thrilling Pitt victories in the past couple of years. Then again, the Panthers have never failed to disappoint on one or several occasions.

So If there is one piece of advice I can give you as a new member of the Oakland Zoo, both basketball and football editions, it would be never get your hopes up. As harsh as that sounds, it’s the truth. Let the teams do the talking for you. I can’t even remember how much trash I talked on my Notre Dame-bound friends last summer only to have it thrown right back in my face not months later.

Don’t get me wrong. I bleed blue and gold. I’ve waited hours in the blistering cold outside the Pete to get good seats for a basketball game, and I’ve sprinted up the ramp at Heinz Field for the same purpose.

But as a born and raised Panther fan, I’ve taken the highs with the lows and have learned to cope with the stock market-like Pitt sports world.

Expect the unexpected.