Well, in the case of Pitt (this year), we have them in OUR house, so home field advantage swings back to us. Additionally, I would hope Brohm doesn't get his bell rung midway through the 3rd quarter so that our offense stalls for a couple of key drives in the game. Finally, as good as Pitt will be this year, they are no Miami. If we can play the Canes to 3 points at THEIR home, sans QB1 for most of the 4th quarter, then I think we can proceed with cautious optimism against Pitt at PJCS.

Look, guys, if my comments come off as arrogant, then I apologize. I do not intend to sound pompous or assumptive. I just have the utmost confidence in this team (as other Card fans, even those who have posted in here, do) that they can win every game on the slate this year. If others didn't, then why do you Cardfan636, have a Rose Bowl logo in your sig? You KNOW we're not getting to Pasadena without going undefeated, so obviously you share the optimism for that possibility.

Furthermore, why should I feel any different about MY TEAM? Many Pitt fans and WVU fans feel just like me, and I bear no ill will towards them. It's a GOOD thing that we all feel confident that we're going to beat everyone else up and down the field. I'd be more worried if all the posters on here were kicking a pebble with the aw shucks face and telling me they're gonna get mauled all season. Is that what everyone wants me to do? I should hope not.

I think any discussion about whether UofL fans or the fans of any other school are arrogant is moot. You can find arrogant fans at just about any school. We just had a discussion at Cardinal Empire's board about how Kentucky football fans are arrogant -- and they are expected to finish last in the SEC!

I hope all of you agree that Louisville had a great season last year and has most of the same talent returning. You are correct to point out the level of competition in CUSA wasn't all that great. After all, Louisville didn't have to play Southern Miss which always fields a competitive team and they barely got by Memphis. Still, they were an interception away from upending Miama and Memphis did well enough to go bowling. Given than Louisville doesn't have any major powerhouses like USC or Oklahoma on their schedule this year, it is certainly within reason to acknowledge the possibility of an undefeated season.

Now the flip side. 11 games doesn't sound like much, but it is indeed a long season. Few teams go undefeated in a season simply because there are too many variables that come into play week in and week out.

Let's agree that every team has the possibility of going 11-0, albeit some teams have a better chance than others. Given the talent that Louisville has, you have to agree that they are one of those teams with a better chance than many others.

Wannstedt failed to win at two different pro teams. Nevertheless, he is highly regarded. I say he is still a wildcard at best. Syracuse has been mired in mediocrity for the better part of the last decade. I believe they are still a few good recruiting classes away of returning to their glory days. I don't know much about WVU, but you guys say they have a lot of rebuilding to do this year. Rutgers fielded a decent team last year, but that is certainly a rarity. UConn is an up and comer, but I'm not convinced they have the talent at enough positions to pull it off. Cincy and So. Florida are in rebuilding mode. That leaves Louisville.

I am not too bold to predict 11-0 for my Cardinals. Even if they did, I doubt they would be invited to the Rose Bowl. TV wants its ratings. They chose Texas for the Rose Bowl last year even though another team earned the right to be there. I admit Louisville surprised me with their performance last season, but I don't believe it was a fluke. It is certainly conceivable to achieve 11-0 from this team.

Regardless, I am ready for this season to get underway no matter what and I am happy to be part of the Big East. In fact, I've been anticipating the move to the BE ever since the days of Howard Schnellenberger. I will certainly root for all BE teams in OOC games.

BTW, The AA in AACardFan is for Ann Arbor, not Alcoholics Anonymous.

I would not be at all surprised to see Louisville go undefeated and be left out of the championship game ranked No. 3 or 4. It will be hard for any Big East team to be ranked 1 or 2. Not impossible, but also not likely to happen ...

I agree. Look at happened to Auburn last year and they are in the almighty SEC.

Honestly, it will be difficult for any conference not SEC, ACC, Big 12 or Big Ten to be 1-2 ... Other than Southern Cal, I don't think Pac-10 teams would get a ton of respect, either. And I don't think a C-USA or Mountain West team would ever be 1 or 2, no matter who they beat. The rankings are just too political for that to happen and they'll never start high enough in the preseason polls to get there barring just an absolutely freaky year in which all the top teams suffer 2 losses. Louisville is starting high enough this year, but I still don't think they could get all the way to 1 or 2 ...

This Guy is good at what he does. He's paid to stir up controversy and picking UofL for the championship game does just that. Who knows what this season will bring but I am disturbed by the fact that some of our BE brothers biggest problem with UofL fans is we won't be humble...that's insane. I don't think UofL will go undefeated this year and if they do, I doubt very seriously that they will be chosen for the championship game unless a whole lot of other teams collapse in a heap....but I'm by no means humble. If that's what it's going to take to be liked on this board, I might as well leave now because I don't believe in being humble about my team and I don't believe in being humble about my conference.
GO CARDS :mad:

AACardFan Wrote:Wannstedt failed to win at two different pro teams. Nevertheless, he is highly regarded. I say he is still a wildcard at best.



Regardless, I am ready for this season to get underway no matter what and I am happy to be part of the Big East. In fact, I've been anticipating the move to the BE ever since the days of Howard Schnellenberger. I will certainly root for all BE teams in OOC games.

BTW, The AA in AACardFan is for Ann Arbor, not Alcoholics Anonymous.

I think you may be underestimating Wannstedt. Here are some facts on the guy:

1. Wannstedt did pretty well with the Dolphins until Ricky went AWOL.

In 1999, Wanstedt again joined Jimmy Johnson's staff, this time as defensive coordinator and assistant head coach of the Miami Dolphins. When the 56 year old Johnson suddenly announced his retirement on January 16, 2000, Wannstedt was the obvious choice to replace him and he was immediately named Johnson's successor.

The 2000 football season went well for the Dolphins as they went 11-5 and won the AFC East title for the first time since 1994. The Dolphins went 11-5 again in 2001, 9-7 in 2002, and 10-6 in 2003. The 2004 season however was a disaster from the beginning. Star running back Ricky Williams quit football in the face of drug abuse charges, the offense sputtered and the team would post just one win in its first nine games, the worst record in the NFL. Wannstedt became the focus of intense criticism for his leadership and fell under immense pressure from fans and Dolphins owner Wayne Huizenga. Wannstedt resigned as Dolphins head coach on November 9, 2004.

2. Wanny has a history of being with winners.

<a href='http://www.miamidolphins.com/lockerroom/coachingstaff/coachingstaff_wannstedt_d.asp' target='_blank'>http://www.miamidolphins.com/lockerroom/co...wannstedt_d.asp</a>
(prior to the disastrous 2004 season)

Wannstedt is in his 30th season of coaching at major colleges and in the NFL. He has been on 20 winning teams, ten bowl teams, six NFL playoff teams and one Super Bowl champion. In his ten seasons as an NFL head coach, he has taken his team to the playoffs three times and twice has won a playoff game while advancing to the Divisional round. In addition, he has won nine or more games in six of those seasons. As a college assistant, Wannstedt’s teams had a 106-45-4 record, including a 6-4 mark in bowl games. Combined with a 7-5 mark in NFL playoff games, his overall postseason record is 13-9.

3. He was one of the five best NFL coaches in the 4-year period before Ricky left.

In Wannstedt’s four years as Dolphins head coach, Miami has been one of only three teams (along with Green Bay and Philadelphia) to record nine win seasons in each of those four years. His 41-23 regular season record in his four years as Miami’s head coach is tied for the fifth best record among NFL head coaches in that span.

In addition, Wannstedt’s four year winning percentage of .641 (41-23) from 2000-2003 is tied for the best winning record of any four-year period in Dolphin history since the club’s last Super Bowl appearance in 1984.

4. Wanny was a loser in Chicago because, quite frankly, the Bears have a history of losing.

. In those six seasons in Chicago, Wannstedt posted 41 wins, the third most victories by a coach in the club’s storied 80-year history. His teams posted back-to-back winning seasons in 1994 and 1995, but working with three personnel directors in six years resulted in major roster changes that ultimately affected the club’s foundation that Wannstedt established.

I could go on, but most people probably don't want to read a lot about Wanny. I can assure you that he's the real deal.

Jim

p.s. I'm glad Louisville is in the BE now. I also hope you're in a TV matchup of 2 undefeated teams on November 3.

Well, in the case of Pitt (this year), we have them in OUR house, so home field advantage swings back to us. Additionally, I would hope Brohm doesn't get his bell rung midway through the 3rd quarter so that our offense stalls for a couple of key drives in the game. Finally, as good as Pitt will be this year, they are no Miami. If we can play the Canes to 3 points at THEIR home, sans QB1 for most of the 4th quarter, then I think we can proceed with cautious optimism against Pitt at PJCS.
[B]


The Miami that the Cards almost beat is not the Miami that won 10 games the last few years either. This past season, they were vulnerable as UNC showed us. But I expect them to be back to the real miami this season.

AACardFan Wrote:I think any discussion about whether UofL fans or the fans of any other school are arrogant is moot. You can find arrogant fans at just about any school. We just had a discussion at Cardinal Empire's board about how Kentucky football fans are arrogant -- and they are expected to finish last in the SEC!

I hope all of you agree that Louisville had a great season last year and has most of the same talent returning. You are correct to point out the level of competition in CUSA wasn't all that great. After all, Louisville didn't have to play Southern Miss which always fields a competitive team and they barely got by Memphis. Still, they were an interception away from upending Miama and Memphis did well enough to go bowling. Given than Louisville doesn't have any major powerhouses like USC or Oklahoma on their schedule this year, it is certainly within reason to acknowledge the possibility of an undefeated season.

Now the flip side. 11 games doesn't sound like much, but it is indeed a long season. Few teams go undefeated in a season simply because there are too many variables that come into play week in and week out.

Let's agree that every team has the possibility of going 11-0, albeit some teams have a better chance than others. Given the talent that Louisville has, you have to agree that they are one of those teams with a better chance than many others.

Wannstedt failed to win at two different pro teams. Nevertheless, he is highly regarded. I say he is still a wildcard at best. Syracuse has been mired in mediocrity for the better part of the last decade. I believe they are still a few good recruiting classes away of returning to their glory days. I don't know much about WVU, but you guys say they have a lot of rebuilding to do this year. Rutgers fielded a decent team last year, but that is certainly a rarity. UConn is an up and comer, but I'm not convinced they have the talent at enough positions to pull it off. Cincy and So. Florida are in rebuilding mode. That leaves Louisville.

I am not too bold to predict 11-0 for my Cardinals. Even if they did, I doubt they would be invited to the Rose Bowl. TV wants its ratings. They chose Texas for the Rose Bowl last year even though another team earned the right to be there. I admit Louisville surprised me with their performance last season, but I don't believe it was a fluke. It is certainly conceivable to achieve 11-0 from this team.

Regardless, I am ready for this season to get underway no matter what and I am happy to be part of the Big East. In fact, I've been anticipating the move to the BE ever since the days of Howard Schnellenberger. I will certainly root for all BE teams in OOC games.

BTW, The AA in AACardFan is for Ann Arbor, not Alcoholics Anonymous.

Louisville had an excellent season last year. they were the most fun team to watch in all of college fb for me. they had a swagger similar to the Miami teams in 2000-03. I may not like the aroogance of some of the fans, but I will be pulling for the Cards.

For the record, my post wasn't aimed at you, CardinalEmpire, and I should have made that clear. I had one or two other Card fans in mind from past threads.

And yes, I am optimistic about our BCS chances, though the Rose is a stretch, no doubt. You've got to aim high, right?

JIM15068 Wrote:

AACardFan Wrote:Wannstedt failed to win at two different pro teams.&nbsp; Nevertheless, he is highly regarded.&nbsp; I say he is still a wildcard at best.&nbsp;



Regardless, I am ready for this season to get underway no matter what and I am happy to be part of the Big East.&nbsp; In fact, I've been anticipating the move to the BE ever since the days of Howard Schnellenberger.&nbsp; I will certainly root for all BE teams in OOC games.

BTW, The AA in AACardFan is for Ann Arbor, not Alcoholics Anonymous. &nbsp;

I think you may be underestimating Wannstedt. Here are some facts on the guy:

1. Wannstedt did pretty well with the Dolphins until Ricky went AWOL.

In 1999, Wanstedt again joined Jimmy Johnson's staff, this time as defensive coordinator and assistant head coach of the Miami Dolphins. When the 56 year old Johnson suddenly announced his retirement on January 16, 2000, Wannstedt was the obvious choice to replace him and he was immediately named Johnson's successor.

The 2000 football season went well for the Dolphins as they went 11-5 and won the AFC East title for the first time since 1994. The Dolphins went 11-5 again in 2001, 9-7 in 2002, and 10-6 in 2003. The 2004 season however was a disaster from the beginning. Star running back Ricky Williams quit football in the face of drug abuse charges, the offense sputtered and the team would post just one win in its first nine games, the worst record in the NFL. Wannstedt became the focus of intense criticism for his leadership and fell under immense pressure from fans and Dolphins owner Wayne Huizenga. Wannstedt resigned as Dolphins head coach on November 9, 2004.

2. Wanny has a history of being with winners.

<a href='http://www.miamidolphins.com/lockerroom/coachingstaff/coachingstaff_wannstedt_d.asp' target='_blank'>http://www.miamidolphins.com/lockerroom/co...wannstedt_d.asp</a>
(prior to the disastrous 2004 season)

Wannstedt is in his 30th season of coaching at major colleges and in the NFL. He has been on 20 winning teams, ten bowl teams, six NFL playoff teams and one Super Bowl champion. In his ten seasons as an NFL head coach, he has taken his team to the playoffs three times and twice has won a playoff game while advancing to the Divisional round. In addition, he has won nine or more games in six of those seasons. As a college assistant, Wannstedt’s teams had a 106-45-4 record, including a 6-4 mark in bowl games. Combined with a 7-5 mark in NFL playoff games, his overall postseason record is 13-9.

3. He was one of the five best NFL coaches in the 4-year period before Ricky left.

In Wannstedt’s four years as Dolphins head coach, Miami has been one of only three teams (along with Green Bay and Philadelphia) to record nine win seasons in each of those four years. His 41-23 regular season record in his four years as Miami’s head coach is tied for the fifth best record among NFL head coaches in that span.

In addition, Wannstedt’s four year winning percentage of .641 (41-23) from 2000-2003 is tied for the best winning record of any four-year period in Dolphin history since the club’s last Super Bowl appearance in 1984.

4. Wanny was a loser in Chicago because, quite frankly, the Bears have a history of losing.

. In those six seasons in Chicago, Wannstedt posted 41 wins, the third most victories by a coach in the club’s storied 80-year history. His teams posted back-to-back winning seasons in 1994 and 1995, but working with three personnel directors in six years resulted in major roster changes that ultimately affected the club’s foundation that Wannstedt established.

I could go on, but most people probably don't want to read a lot about Wanny. I can assure you that he's the real deal.

Jim

p.s. I'm glad Louisville is in the BE now. I also hope you're in a TV matchup of 2 undefeated teams on November 3.

Jim15068; For what its worth, I think that Wanny is an excellent hire for Pitt. If my memory serves, there was another NFL coach who had a soso NFL career and was actually fired. He is now the overwhelming favorite to lead his college team to their 3rd national title.

So I am not concerned about wanny. He is doing an excellent job of recruiting, which is half the battle, and he certainly is beloved by his town. I believe that he will take Pitt as far as they can go.

Most all your points about Wanny are good. I really believe it was the management of the Bears moreso than Wanny who contributed to the failure of the teams he coached there. Nevertheless, he along with every other team in the conference has much to prove.

Here's to what I hope to be a long and successfull relationship among all the teams in the new Big East.

Oh yeah, and GO CARDS!!