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After the Pittsburgh Panthers' shocking victory over the West Virginia Mountaineers, the only thing most people were talking about was how this really was the "year of the upset" and how devastating this was to WVU. However, there was more to this shocking upset than might meet the eye. The Panthers won just five games this year, not even good enough to qualify for a bowl game, but they were not nearly as bad as one might expect.

Every team they lost to is bowl bound, and two of their five wins came against teams that will be playing in the postseason as well. This might suggest that the team suffered from playing a tough non conference schedule, which would further hurt their already struggling team. Pittsburgh's defense was surely not the root of the team's struggles; the Panthers were ranked 5th nationally in pass defense and 8th in overall defense, very impressive numbers for a team with such a poor overall record. The running game for the Panthers was also surely a strength. The freshman running back LeSean McCoy ran for 1,328 yards and 14 TDs, setting Big East freshmen records for each of those categories. He would also go on to win the conference's rookie of the year award and make the All-Big East first team. Clearly, Pitt's season was not as dismal as their record might indicate.

Not only did Pittsburgh have a fairly positive season despite their wins and losses, they also have a very positive outlook heading into next season. The Panthers struggled this year due mainly to inconsistency at the quarterback position. Freshmen Kevan Smith and Pat Bostick each had their moments, but neither sustained a high enough level of play to run the offense with any effectiveness. Often opposing defenses would put eight men in the box and force the Panthers to convert on long third down scenarios, which they simply could not do. The return of now senior QB Bill Stull, who played only one game this season due to a thumb injury, should provide a needed boost to the offense.

This deficiency in the passing game was further created by the loss of All Big East wide receiver Derek Kinder in the preseason. Fellow wideouts Oderick Turner and T.J. Porter filled in decently, but the offense lacked a leader, as both Turner and Porter were sophmores, and McCoy and Smith/Bostick were freshmen. Kinder redshirted this year, and should return in 2008 as a fifth year senior to lead the offense, moving Turner and Porter to the second WR and slot positions respectively, where each is more comfortable. The return of Kinder and Stull, along with the further development of McCoy and LaRod Stephens-Howling, who will be a senior this coming season, should solve at least some of the Panthers' offensive woes.

Pitt has a lot to look forward to next season not only because of regaining old players, but also because of gaining new ones. Their incoming recruiting class is ranked 22nd in the nation by rivals.com, which is headlined by OT/DT Lucas Nix. Nix is rated a five star prospect and should shore up the line, which has been inconsistent all season. Jeff Otah, the only decent OL prospect the team has, will most likely declare for the NFL Draft and is projected to go as high as the first round, and the addition of Nix should help to relieve his loss. They also have a strong verbal commitment from four star TE prospect Jonathan Baldwin, which should shore up a position left with only three inexperienced juniors after the departure of senior Darrell Strong. Two more four star recruits at running back, Chris Burns and Cameron Saddler, should be joining the team as well. Dave Wannstedt's strong recruiting class should serve the Panthers well next season.

Pittsburgh made headlines with its upset of no. 2 West Virginia on December 1st, but it could be making waves in the Big East by next season. It has several returning starters from an excellent defense, an exciting young running back, the return of several key veterans from injury, an intriguing new class of recruits and is competing in a Big East conference that will lose a lot of talent this spring. West Virginia lost its coach and possibly could lose star RB Steve Slaton and QB Pat White, Louisville will lose QB Brian Brohm and WR Mario Urrutia, Rutgers could lose RB Ray Rice and Cincinnati will lose QB Bill Mauk. Pitt's main competition will most likely come from UConn, USF and possibly WVU and Rutgers, which is surely manageable. It's not a sure thing, but Pittsburgh is definitely a team to watch for this coming year.