Football schedule to receive a face-lift

Pitt football is now providing incentive, by way of attractive scheduling and promotions, for… Pitt football is now providing incentive, by way of attractive scheduling and promotions, for students not only to roll out of bed for upcoming games, but also to hold on to their season tickets.

A series of promotions, highlighted by a “Throwback Day” on Sept. 24, when the Panthers will don the uniforms of the 1970s and early 1980s, breathe life into a home schedule with its highlight game as the first of the season (Notre Dame on Sept. 3).

Pitt’s first October contest, against Big East-newcomer Cincinnati, marks the debut of the “River City Rivalry,” as the schools meet for the first time since 1981. Recent Hall of Fame inductees Mark May (College Football Hall of Fame) and Dan Marino (Pro Football Hall of Fame) will also be honored in separate games.

The promotional announcements come on the heels of the athletics department’s announcement last month that five high-caliber opponents would appear on Pitt’s schedule in the coming decade, including reunions with former Big East rivals Miami (Fla.) and Virginia Tech. Other opponents include Virginia, North Carolina State and Iowa.

“Our future non-conference schedules reflect our efforts to compete against some of the nation’s finest programs,” Athletics Director Jeff Long said in a press release. “It also reflects the importance of constructing a balanced non-conference schedule that provides quality opponents and prepares us for our Big East schedule. It is particularly exciting for our fans, who will be able to see national-caliber intersectional games at Heinz Field.”

The additions come to future Pitt schedules that already include Notre Dame, with whom Pitt signed an eight-year home-and-home deal that runs from 2007-2015 and Michigan State, who comes to Pitt in 2006 and hosts the Panthers in 2007.

Pitt and Iowa have signed a four-year, home-and-home deal that begins in 2008 with a contest at Heinz Field. The two teams will meet again in 2011 and 2015 in Iowa, followed by a Pitt-hosted finale in 2016.

Last year, the Hawkeyes, a perennial Big-10 contender, rode an eight-game winning streak to close out the season en route to a 10-2 record. A thrilling, last-second 30-25 come-from-behind victory over LSU in the Capital One Bowl closed out a magical season for Iowa.

Virginia, an Atlantic Coast Conference affiliate, stunned the Panthers in the 2003 Continental Tire Bowl, keeping former Pitt stud Larry Fitzgerald out of the end zone in a game for the first time all season. The teams will meet in 2006 and 2007, with Pitt hosting the first contest, the first regular-season meeting between the schools since 1955.

Like Iowa, the Cavaliers enjoyed much success in 2004 mainly because of a stellar ground game. A 5-0 start saw Virginia rise high in the rankings, but a stumble to the finish left the Cavaliers with an 8-4 record on the wrong end of a 37-34 contest with Fresno State in the MPC Computers Bowl.

Another recent bowl opponent and future ACC foe will play host to the Panthers in 2009 when Pitt travels to Raleigh, N.C., for a matchup with North Carolina State.

Pitt knocked off N.C. State in the 2001 Tangerine Bowl with a dominating 24-19 victory. The schools will play one more time in 2013 with the Panthers playing host.

A late-season four-game losing streak proved to be too much for the Wolfpack to eke its way into a bowl game in 2004, finishing with a 5-6 record. One highlight, however, was a 17-16 thriller N.C. State won over eventual ACC Champion and Sugar Bowl contestant Virginia Tech.

Pitt also resumes play with the Hokies of Virginia Tech, a series that saw a number of intense contests until its conclusion in 2003. In their last meeting, Lousaka Polite plunged over the goal line in the game’s waning moments for a 31-28 Pitt triumph. What’s more, the Panthers currently own a three-game winning streak against the traditionally strong Hokies.

Play resumes between the two schools in 2012 when the Hokies venture north to Heinz Field. The following year, Pitt will head to Blacksburg, Va., for a second encounter with Frank Beamer’s squad.

After dropping its season opener to eventual national champion Southern California, Virginia Tech proceeded to lose its inaugural ACC contest with North Carolina State on a missed field goal. The Hokies, however, went on to win eight-straight games, seven of them in conference play, to move to 10-2 on the season, win the ACC title and rise to No. 9 in the national polls. They fell to Auburn, 16-13, in the Sugar Bowl.

Pitt’s final addition to its non-conference schedule sees another former Big East rival-turned ACC foe come to town. The Hurricanes of Miami will come to Heinz Field in a one-game agreement in 2010. Miami surged to a 6-0 start in 2004, but the Hurricanes managed only a split of their final six, capping a 9-3 season with a 27-10 win over in-state rival Florida in the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl. The meeting will be the first since Miami ruined Pitt’s hopes at a 2003 Big East title when the Hurricanes rolled into Heinz Field and shut down the Panthers with a swarming defense and rugged rushing attack.