Cardiac Hill Roundtable Part 3: Under the radar game

Florida State, Notre Dame, and Miami. Those are the three biggest games on Pitt's schedule and ultimately, the team's season may be judged on their win-loss record in those contests - fairly or not. However, there are nine other games on Pitt's schedule. In other years, they may have been feature games, but this year, they're an afterthought almost when compared to the bigger contests. Today, we talk about those other games, focusing on one that we're particularly interested in seeing.

What's one under the radar game that you're interested in seeing?

Greg (oaklandzoo12): I’m very intrigued by Pitt’s game with North Carolina. First, it comes the week after Notre Dame, so there’s potential for a letdown game of sorts. Pitt fans will also be quick to point towards Florida State, Notre Dame, and Miami for obvious reasons as games to watch, perhaps even the Virginia Tech game as well. But this should also be against a team near the top of the Coastal Division, along with Miami and Virginia Tech. North Carolina will be a good football team next season and I'm not sure Pitt fans are fully aware of how difficult this game will be. It's easy to get up for one big game. The best teams can do that week after week. We'll see where exactly Pitt is after they're done playing the Tar Heels.

Anson (CardiacHill): That October 12th game against Virginia Tech is the one I'm looking at. It comes in the middle of some very winnable games and while picking Pitt to win any game is a set up for disaster, Pitt will have an outside shot to get to 6-1 heading into a big matchup against Georgia Tech. Everyone is looking at the three games against Florida State, Notre Dame, and Miami, but the Virginia Tech game is a huge one. We all know the history of Pitt having some success against the Hokies, but after the whipping the Panthers gave them last year, it's hard to imagine Virginia Tech won't get up for this one.

Pat (Pat O'Mahony): Old Dominion. ODU plays quite a few ACC teams this year and apparently their QB is pretty good. I’m not going to pretend like I know their 2-deep depth chart, but this is the type of game Pitt usually loses or makes unnecessarily close.

Jim (FloodCityPanther): North Carolina on November 16 could be tough. It directly follows the Notre Dame game. Chances are the ND game will be a raucous crowd, and a potential night game. Either way, emotions will be high for Pitt the week prior to UNC. The Tar Heels are a solid team. It probably will fall as a noon game with less of a crowd for the Panthers. I wonder how Pitt will respond under the circumstances.

Mike (mikeo90): I’ll go with New Mexico on September 14. By no means am I saying Pitt will lose this game, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the score ends up being pretty close. Not only is it just the second game of the year, but it’s also right after Florida State. There’s a good chance the team will still be working out some kinks at this point, and depending on how the FSU game goes, who knows where the team’s mindset will be. As we all know, Pitt has a tendency to play to the level of their opponent.

Bryan M. (FearTheStache): The Midshipmen of Navy. Their offense is always difficult to defend when few other teams (if any) on your schedule run it. Throw in the fact that the Panthers could possibly overlook this game as they travel to Atlanta the following week and that could spell disaster for Pitt.

Anthony (VictoryLights): Probably Navy. Pitt and Navy have played some great games in recent memory and the offense is difficult to defend because it’s not seen often. Factor in a new Defensive Coordinator with that and it could be a recipe for a letdown. The game being on the road, in what I’ve been told is an amazing atmosphere, is an added piece of help for Navy.