Looking for 3-0

Pitt is on the verge of its first 3-0 start in nearly ten years. Every game is important, but these next two against Navy and NC State will go a long way in determining the success of this season.

The Big East games are much more important to Pitt in terms of getting to a BCS bowl, but these two will be a pre-cursor to the Big East season and the competition will surely be tougher than Pitt's first two games.

Navy gave Ohio State a major scare - in Columbus no less. They came back to rout Louisiana Tech the next week. And I'll say this about their schedule - they're playing a pretty challenging one with games at Ohio State, Notre Dame, Hawaii, and Pitt and also a home game against Wake Forest.

Yes, Navy doesn't appear to have much of a passing game, but they do enough to get by. And one of their receivers had an 85-yard touchdown on a catch and run over the middle against Ohio State (about a 35-yard pass and 50-yard run) - so they have shown the potential to beat the secondary.

With Navy's run game, they control the clock a great deal. 10 guys have already had carries this year and they have averaged about 240 rushing yards per game. I'd feel a lot more comfortable with Scott McKillop back there, but enough of these guys have been around to remember the loss to Navy two years ago.

My prediction last week was way off (mostly due to the fact that Buffalo gave up 27 points off turnovers alone) other than the fact that Pitt got a win. Prediction: Pitt 31 / Navy 20.