1. Block and tackle
A famous NFL coach once said football is an easy game that comes down to which team blocks and tackles the best. Last year, the Panthers did neither particularly well and it showed. Had it not been for the work of a good quarterback and a superhuman wide receiver, the Panthers might not have won many games because they lost the physical battle almost every time they took the field. This year, the Panthers have a first-year quarterback and no receiver nearly as talented as Larry Fitzgerald to bail them out of jams. That means the Panthers must run the football effectively, give their young quarterback some time to throw and stop other teams from running the football down their throat because they won't win many scoring contests. If Pitt is going to be successful, it will have to do so by grinding out victories, something that goes against Walt Harris's West Coast philosophy. If the Panthers can't run the football, they can't control the clock and can't keep their undersized, but talented, defense fresh. That would spell disaster.

2. Stay healthy
Most teams can absorb a few key injuries, but the Panthers cannot this year. Pitt is not really very deep at many positions, so it cannot afford to have any key players go down. They are not off to a great start. They have had numerous players miss parts of training camp because of injuries. The Panthers are very thin on the offensive line, especially at tackle. They also cannot afford to lose any defensive linemen, running backs or receivers. If Pitt can avoid injuries and keep all of its frontline players on the field for the majority of the season, it has enough talent to be a good team. But with a few injuries, the whole season could go down the tubes. The good news is the Panthers have two solid quarterbacks, so they could recover if they lose the starter at that position.

3. Game-day coaching
Last season, the Panthers had far too much trouble getting plays called. This often resulted in a team that looked confused and out of sync. It also led to countless wasted timeouts and delay of game and illegal procedure penalties that put the offense in bad down and distance situations. The Notre Dame game was a prime example of this. Pitt used three timeouts early in the third quarter and had none left in the fourth quarter, when the Irish were running out the clock. After the game, Pitt coach Walt Harris responded to a question about why he had so much trouble getting plays called by saying "it is difficult to call plays when you are not sure which ones will work." Last year's offense had the firepower to overcome some of those situations, but this year's offense doesn't. It is imperative that the game plans be kept simple, the plays get called quickly and the team lines up with enough time to get set. If the Panthers' offense is kept simple and executes well, it has the talent to be effective enough to win games. If Pitt wastes timeouts again and starts a majority of its drives at first-and-15, it will not bode well for its hopes.

4. Offensive efficiency
Pitt's defense will be good enough to win some games on its own or with just a little help from the offense. And in strong-legged junior college All-American place-kicker Josh Cummings, the Panthers look like they have a valuable weapon who can finish drives with long field goals if necessary. Given that, the offense, especially early in the season while it is still coming together behind new starting QB Tyler Palko (pictured at left), must be extra careful to not turn the ball over and give opponents short fields. Palko is a heady player, but he is a first-year starter, so he needs to be put in position to succeed by his coaches. If the offense can avoid big turnovers and consistently score when it gets into the red zone, the Panthers have a chance to win or at least be in every game. The offense is not going to win many shoot-outs, so it cannot give away points.

5. Win the games they should win
It sounds easy but it really hasn't been for the Panthers in recent years. The Panthers' early losses to a bad Notre Dame team and Toledo cost them a chance at 10 wins. The 2002 team had bad losses to West Virginia and Texas A&M and completely dominated Notre Dame, but found a way to lose that one as well. In the past two years the Panthers were good enough to win some games they were expected to lose, and they overcame the bad losses. But this season's young team will be scratching and clawing every week and cannot afford to give away any victories. That means beating Furman, Ohio, Rutgers and Temple. A loss in any of those four games almost guarantees the Panthes will not get the requisite six victories needed for a bowl berth. If they win those four, however, they only need to win two more to get to a bowl.

-- By Paul Zeise