Reprints Online

Spring practices are in the books and fall camps will be here before you know it so that means getting an early jump on the 2006 NCAA football season. Knowing the teams now will save you time in August and Matt Fargo is here to help you get a grasp of what to expect this upcoming year. We go from worst to first in this 2006 College Football Preview.

#49 - Pittsburgh Panthers 5-6 SU; 5-5 ATS

Fargo's Take The return of head coach Dave Wannstedt to Pittsburgh did not go as planned last season as the Panthers missed out on a bowl game for the first time in six years. Don't put all of the blame on the coach though as there were plenty of reasons things went bad. A slow start put the Panthers against the wall early but winning four of their final six games was a great way to end the season. Both the offense and defense digressed in 2005 and that can be attributed to learning brand new systems on each side and after finally coming together, the team showed it could win. The offense will be much better this season as quarterback Tyler Palko has a year under the new system and can try to replicate his 2004 numbers. The defense was very good last season but had huge troubles stopping the run and there is not a whole lot of size coming back on the defensive line. The schedule is in the Panthers favor to rebound and head back to a bowl.

Returning Starters on Offense - 6 Palko had a rough start to the season learning the new system under offensive coordinator Matt Cavanaugh but he did finish with decent numbers. He tossed 17 touchdowns with just nine interceptions but the 2,392 yards were less than anticipated. Four starters return on the offensive line that improved as the season went along. After allowing 19 sacks in the first five games, they allowed just 11 sacks in the final six. The running game never got on track as the tailbacks were responsible for only three rushing touchdowns the entire season. Sophomore LaRod Stephens-Howling led the way with 434 yards but could be ready to breakout. The receivers are young and inexperienced but keep an eye out for Dorin Dickerson, a freshman that could make an impact right out of the gate.

Returning Starters on Defense - 6 The Panthers finished second in the country in passing defense last season and the secondary looks to be very strong once again led by cornerback Darrelle Revis. The rest of the bunch needs to step up as Revis won't be seeing a lot of throws come his way. The linebacking unit is one of the best in the conference and the return of Big East leading tackler H.B. Blades is huge. Everything will likely come down to the defensive line that is extremely young on the two-deep chart. Allowing 185.2 ypg was not what Wannstedt envisioned and he will do whatever it takes to improve upon that average. If spring practices are any indication of things to come, Pittsburgh will be much improved.

Schedule The Panthers have a much easier slate than they did a season ago as Notre Dame and Nebraska are gone and replaced with Virginia and Michigan St. Four of Pittsburgh's five non-conference games are at home with the other two home contests being against Toledo and The Citadel. The lone out of conference road game is at Central Florida. The Panthers need to somehow take three of five from that bunch. The Big East schedule features four road games with the toughest coming at South Florida. The other three are at Cincinnati, Syracuse and Connecticut, three teams ranked below them. The lone home game in that span is against Rutgers and then the end of the season sees Pittsburgh hosting West Virginia and Louisville in back-to-back games. Getting both at home was a huge break.

You can bet on... With Pittsburgh in its second season under the Wannstedt regime, a better outcome should be expected. There are enough pieces on both sides of the ball to make this a top quality team and if the Panthers can win some of the swing games, the last two games of the season could actually signify something meaning a Big East Title is not totally out of their grasp. Those final two games could mean some profits as well as Pittsburgh is 10-4 ATS as a home underdog since 1999. It will likely be getting points in both of those and seeing that the Panthers are 19-6 straight up at Heinz Field over the last four years, an upset can happen. Both of those games are huge revenge games for Pittsburgh as it was beaten by a combined score of 87-33 in those two contests last year.

About the Author

Matt Fargo is a documented member of the Professional Handicappers League. Read all of his articles at www.procappers.com/Matt_Fargo.htm