As hard as it is to believe, spring football is right around the corner. That means the Pitt football Q&A is back and I will have a new one each week from now until the week following the spring game, so keep the questions rolling in.

This is going to be one of the most important springs in recent Pitt history because the Panthers have a lot of questions that need answers. Pitt is also coming off a losing season and needs to get back on the winning track.

From my vantage point, there are some very critical positions that need filled and a few players who must step up in order to give the Panthers a fighting chance.

Center, left tackle and left guard are all questions, major questions. It will be a great sign for the Panthers if they can leave spring with CJ Davis at center because that means someone, likely Dom Williams, has stepped up at guard and thus both positions are in great shape.

The left tackle spot won't be solved until the fall when junior college-transfer Jeff Otah arrives, but the margin for error here is slim. If he is a bust or he isn't ready to play, there could be big, big problems for the Panthers.

On defense, the interior line is far too much of an unknown to even make an educated guess as to which four players are going to eventually earn the bulk of the playing time and that's not a good thing. The defensive end spots are a little more settled, but the Panthers must improve dramatically at both end spots in order to take a step forward on defense.

Linebacker is supposed to be the strength of the defense, but there are plenty of questions at both outside positions. Clint Session has one final season to try and live up to his enormous potential, and Brian Bennett must return strong from yet another major injury.

It will be fun to watch the progress of this team from the start of the spring until opening day because the potential for growth is enormous.

Now let's get started...

Q: How many freshmen do you think will make the two-deep and which ones have the best chance to start?

Frank Caplan

Washington, D.C.

Zeise: There is no doubt Kevin Collier, Dorin Dickerson, Jason Pinkston, McKenzie Mathews, Jeff Otah (who is actually considered a JC transfer) and Aaron Berry -- because of the positions they play and their talent -- are going to be given every opportunity to earn starting jobs. If Brian Bennett isn't healthy -- and even if he is -- Nate Nix will also have a chance to earn a starting job. All of those guys, along with Nate Byham, Elijah Fields, Greg Webster and John Malecki are virtual locks to land somewhere on the two-deep. Coaches would love to have the luxury of red-shirtting Joe Thomas, but the reality is they probably don't have four guards who are better than he is so he's likely to land on the two-deep as well. And three other guys -- Jovanni Chappel (who actually has already enrolled and will be with the team for spring drills) Tamarcus Porter and Aaron Smith, because they are such good athletes, could also find their way onto the field next season. Two other guys who will have a shot at playing because they are at positions that are wide open are Jared Martin and Justin Hargrove.

Obviously, not all of those guys will pan out or be ready to play right away, but it is clear there will be plenty of opportunity for this freshman class to make an immediate impact.

Q: Is there still a chance the Big East might split into football and basketball schools? Is there any sentiment to add a ninth football member?

Jeff Lobl

Minneapolis

Zeise: There are always rumors about splits in the Big East because of its size and makeup but as of now they are mostly just rumors. I think the presidents of the member schools are committed to trying to make it work as it is and will continue to tweak things like schedules and television contracts and whatnot in order to come up with the formula that works best.

As for adding a football-only member to balance the schedule, I would expect this to happen, probably sooner than later. As Jeff Long said, it is simply too tough to find five non-conference games every year, which is what they essentially have to do with a 12-game schedule. It is a safe bet that Central Florida would probably be the top candidate for this. The school has been working diligently to get itself in position should the opportunity arise.

Of course, they wouldn't be in this situation if they just kept Temple around, but that's a different story for a different day.

Q: There were some rumors that Tyler Palko played with a broken hand last year. Is this true?

Mike Wells

Princeton, NJ

Zeise: No, his hand wasn't broken. Those rumors came up mostly because of the hit he took in the Notre Dame game and because he didn't throw the ball as well as he did as a sophomore. His hand wasn't 100 percent for much of the season but it wasn't the reason the Panthers struggled nor was it the reason he struggled. Greg Lee dropping passes had a lot more to do with the offense struggling than Tyler Palko's hand.

Q: Do you think the too small size of the Big East hurts its image nationally?

Terry Smith

Littleton, Co.

Zeise: Yes, I do, but I think adding four schools just to add four schools would be a disaster as well. You need to find the right four schools if you want to have a legit 12-team conference and, frankly, they must be able to add something more than just a good football team. I think Memphis and Central Florida would be no-brainers to get to 10, but finding two more would be tough.

But having only eight schools gives the Big East the feel of a small conference and doesn't allow it to have the kind of depth that some of the bigger conferences have.

Q: Why did Craig Bokor not get any playing time last year and will he see the field this year?

Jeff Spinelli

Natrona Heights

Zeise: That was a coaches' decision. Someone had to be redshirtted out of that class of defensive tackles and he was behind the others initially. But coaches really like his motor and his work ethic and he is a tough, hard-nosed kid, so he'll have ample opportunity to earn playing time in his career. This year especially, as the two defensive tackle spots are wide open.

Q: Peter Carroll had a .500 year his first season at USC then was 11-2 in year two. Do you think Dave Wannstedt could have similar success in year two, especially given his excellent recruiting class? What is a reasonable expectation for Pitt this year?

Dave Brooks

Dedham, Mass.

Zeise: I don't think it is reasonable to expect Pitt to be much above .500 this year. They may surprise, but they are going to be very, very young at the wrong places. I don't care how good these recruits are, the fact that so many are going to have to play is going to make it difficult to win big. That's especially true on the defensive line, where, conceivably there could be three true freshmen starting (Pinkston, Malecki and Mathews). They all will likely be excellent players, but true freshmen generally struggle when they are thrown into battle on either line. Pitt should be a team that gets better as the season wears on, but like last year, they have a tough game right out of the gate so there is no room for error.

Q: Are there any freshmen who enrolled in January to get a head start on the rest of the class?

Vincent Toman

Downingtown

Zeise: Yes, Jovanni Chapel, a defensive back from Ohio, enrolled early and will participate in spring drills.

Q: A friend of mine -- who is a typical Penn State "we never lost a game" fan -- claims Penn State held Tony Dorsett to his lowest rushing total during the 1976 season -- the year he won the Heisman. Is this true?

Josh Newark

York, Pa.

Zeise: Your friend is wrong. Very wrong, in fact. Dorsett ran for 224 yards and led the Panthers to a 24-7 romp of Penn State in 1976.