The Panthers draw a tough assignment in their opener as Bowling Green is favored to win the Mid-American Conference. Pitt is 2-0 in the all-time series against the Falcons but has lost to a MAC opponent twice in the past five seasons.

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Student Profile

Starting outside linebacker Adam Gunn emerged as one of the most consistent players on the Panthers' defense last year, recording 59 tackles and 1.5 sacks. Gunn had six tackles for losses and had a number of big games, like his seven-tackle performance against South Florida.

But as consistent as Gunn is on the field, he has been even more consistent -- borderline excellent in the classroom as he is a two-time All-Big East Conference Academic football team honoree and one of the top students on the team.

In fact, Gunn, who is a fifth-year senior, already has graduated in April with a bachelor's degree in communication in rhetoric and was accepted into Pitt's prestigious graduate school of public and international affairs, where he will be working on his master's degree this fall.

Gunn also has been very involved in the community in his past four years at Pitt and has successfully completed an academic internship with the Pitt athletic media relations office.

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The Panthers have never played the Bulls but this is the last of their tune-up games before the meat of the schedule begins. Buffalo traditionally has been one of the worst programs in Division I-A, but the Bulls have had a resurgence under third-year coach Turner Gill.

This is the first real test for the Panthers, and in recent years is the kind of game they've lost. In fact, they've been 2-0 the past two seasons and lost their third game in each year. And in both cases, the opponent was Michigan State, who, like Iowa, competes in the Big Ten Conference.

The Panthers begin their Big East Conference schedule with the team picked to finish last in the league. But the Orange is much better at home than on the road and the Carrier Dome has traditionally not been an easy place for the Panthers to win.

If the Panthers get to this point undefeated, then this sets up as a huge game with major implications as the Bulls are expected to contend for the Big East title and perhaps even more. South Florida has won the past two games in this series.

The Midshipmen are another one of those tricky non-conference opponents because of their proficient, triple-option offense. Last season they carved the Panthers defense for 497 yards in the Midshipmen's 48-45 overtime win.

The Scarlet Knights are 6-19 all-time against the Panthers, but Rutgers coach Greg Schiano is 3-0 versus his former boss, Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt. And once again, this is a critical game for the Panthers if they hope to go to a bowl game.

The previous time the Panthers visited Notre Dame they upset the Irish behind five touchdown passes from Tyler Palko and put themselves in position to earn their first BCS berth. Notre Dame is coming off a 3-9 season but figure to be much improved, so this figures to be one of the toughest games on the schedule.

The Cardinals struggled last season after spending their first two seasons at the top of the Big East Conference. This year the Cardinals don't appear to be much better as they have plenty of holes, so this is a game the Panthers need to and should win.

The dynamics of this game really hinge on the ruling of a judge or the NCAA as Bearcats quarterback Ben Mauk is still fighting for a sixth year of eligibility. If Mauk wins his appeal, the Bearcats become a far more dangerous opponent.

The Panthers pulled one of college football's biggest upsets last season when they beat WVU, 13-9, and knocked the Mountaineers out of the national championship game. This year Pitt is hoping there is more than pride on the line in this game as the Panthers expect to be playing for the Big East championship.

The Huskies have had the Panthers' number as they own a 3-1 edge in this series. This is particularly true at Rentschler Field where the Panthers are 0-2. The Huskies, like West Virginia and South Florida, are expected to contend for the Big East title, so this game could be very big.