With Saturday’s loss to Syracuse, head coach Walt Harris sealed his fate and will not be… With Saturday’s loss to Syracuse, head coach Walt Harris sealed his fate and will not be the coach of the Panthers next year.

Dave: Fact. After losing to the Orange, coach Harris will definitely be collecting unemployment next year. It was a game he definitely needed to win, because Pitt will lose this week against the Irish on national television and then to West Virginia on Thanksgiving. A win last week might have helped him keep his job, but losing three of their last four (if they even beat South Florida) won’t help his case much.

Matt: Fact. Tyler Palko said it perfectly Monday when he said the Panthers need to start winning big games. The Panthers have won some big games under Harris but they have always seemed to lose when it matters. Give Harris credit for bringing the program this far, but Pitt needs a better game-day coach and a better recruiter.

The Panther volleyball team will beat both Notre Dame and Syracuse this weekend, capturing the Big East regular season title.

Dave: Fiction. As much as I would like to believe that the Panthers will defend their Big East title with two big road wins, Notre Dame and Syracuse are very tough at home, especially in conference games. They have a combined record of a 5-2 against Big East foes while protecting their home court. Pitt’s only loss in the conference came against Rutgers on the road.

Matt: Fact. This may be the toughest question on the board because I believe it relies heavily on Megan Miller’s injury status, but with the two biggest games of the year in three days, I think Miller plays and plays well, and the Panthers, who, when healthy, are the best team in this conference, sweep the weekend. A crazy side note: Panther libero Megan McGrane will go over 600 digs for the season.

Trailing Carnegie Mellon at halftime is a reason for concern for the Panther men’s basketball team.

Dave: Fiction. Although the Panthers struggled with the Tartans early on last week, don’t put much stock into these exhibition games. Carl Krauser and Chris Taft both saw limited minutes, and I’m sure Dixon wanted to work the younger guys in more. I think they face better competition going five-on-five in practice. They will be fine and hopefully be playing deeper into the tournament this year.

Matt: Fiction. This is the easiest one on the board because it isn’t how you start, it is how you finish, and the Panthers outplayed the Tartans down the stretch and really flexed their muscles when they felt it was time. Not to mention they did it all without Krauser, who will be their best player this year.

Maurice Clarett’s allegations against Ohio State are true and common at most universities.

Dave: Fact. Maybe not at Pitt as much, but there is no doubt in my mind that athletes of high-profile schools and programs are getting a little more than just a scholarship. Maybe Clarett is lying or exaggerating, but schools like Ohio State that have so much invested in these student-athletes and make so much of their games and successes, I wouldn’t put it past them to do whatever they feel necessary to keep their stars happy.

Matt: Fact. If you think this is fiction, then you don’t know college sports. How do you think colleges convince players to come to college and not leap to millions in the NBA? High-profile programs have too much pressure on them to win, and when the pressure gets too high, people crack and give in. It is a shame that these allegations came out against Ohio State, though, because it has nothing to do with anything right now and Clarett is just bitter because he isn’t playing somewhere.

The Steelers 7-1 start is the most surprising thing in the National Football League.

Dave: Fiction. The 7-1 start by the Steelers doesn’t surprise me at all. They have already exceeded their win total from last season, but last year’s team was plagued with offensive line injuries. With a healthy line this year, the Steelers have established the run with newly acquired Duce Staley and future Hall-of-Famer Jerome Bettis. With such a potent running game, things have opened up for rookie Big Ben and arguably the best receiving core in the NFL. With that combination plus an extremely solid defense, why shouldn’t they be 7-1?

Matt: Fact. No one, and I mean no one, had the Steelers being 7-1 after eight games because they had Baltimore, New England and Philadelphia on their schedule. With Tommy Maddox out, Ben Roethlisberger’s play has been remarkable, but the real story is the defense and the running game. Staley may have been the biggest off-season acquisition in the league with the exception of Terrell Owens. And Dick LeBeau should get coach of the year for the way he has the Steelers’ defense playing. It may be surprising, but it definitely is awesome.