Scrolling through Twitter can bring joy, sadness, giggles, and complete frustration; but luckily I stumbled across a tweet by DKPittsburghSports that made me really stop and ponder.
Which button do you press? You have to choose! pic.twitter.com/uupHUTEPhM
— DK Pittsburgh Sports (@DKPghSports) July 18, 2018
Each brings joy and a feeling of closure and it made me think, what would a panel with solely Pitt football buttons consist of? So, like anyone with a plethora of extra time would do, I sorted it out for public selection. Like a chef in the kitchen, I added a layer of flavor by making it consequentially circumstantial.
BUTTON ONE
Kenny Pickett wins the Heisman Trophy but Pitt won’t have more than five wins in a season for the next decade.
Alright, so here we are. At a time when Pitt must be decent enough to persuade a national audience to pay attention to the team enough that the quarterback sticks out from other competition across the country. For the lack of desire in making up stats, I’ll drop 2017 Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Baker Mayfield’s stats below for reference.
The Big Question:
Are you comfortable in forfeiting sustained success for the Kenny Pickett chapter to end with grace?
My Take:
I’ll pass. While seeing Pickett hoist the hardware would be especially nice, I want consistent winning over a prolonged stretch.
BUTTON TWO
Pat Narduzzi signs a contract in perpetuity that cannot be broken; but Pitt won’t win conference or national championships despite having 10 win seasons…ever.
This is what I would call the ‘Jim McElwain disdain(minus the contract aspect).’ The head coach comes in, has immediate success and pushes the team forward to two consecutive conference championship games. He loses both and continues to be blown out by conference rivals and the fall from glory happens fast and hard. But, and it’s a BIG but, the team approaches double-digit wins and is by all means successful each season.
The Big Question:
How do you level the term successful? Is it measured by just championships, or is winning 83-percent of games each season enough?
My Take:
This is tempting for me, it really is. But, the one thing that sticks out that I can’t get over is the plateau. After five seasons, I would be tired of winning the games but not getting over the hump. Let’s not forget, we wouldn’t be able to throw Narduzzi aside like McElwain. Again, I’ll pass.
BUTTON THREE
Pitt has the best overall recruiting class in the country for five straight cycles, but wins just seven games each year and only plays in the Military Bowl.
Congratulations, we finally win in otherwise meaningless rankings. The best players swarm to Oakland and the North Shore to put their talents on display but continually fall short of reaching expectations.
The Big Question:
Are you satisfied in knowing the best possible talent is on your side, but fights expectations and potential instead of opponents in meaningful games to end the season?
My Take:
Yuck, I’ll just pass. This is a miserable option.
BUTTON FOUR
Pitt wins a national championship once every seven years but in the other years wins just one game against either Penn State or West Virginia.
The best part about this is we finally quit leaning on 1976 and can use concrete positivism in the new millennium to talk about. That alone can be great, however, I still embrace the past quite significantly.
The Big Question:
How high do you value the match-up between either rival?
My Take:
This is a tough one, it really, really is. On the bright side, we claim the highest honor in the sport every seven years. On the negative side, we have an aggregate single digit wins in the other years; BUT, as the team crumbles and is a laughing-stock across the country, we provide shame and complete embarrassment to the teams that garner the most hatred. I think I may just press this one. Locked in.
Please give your opinions and even create scenario’s of your own in the comments!
CFB Slant 