Q: Paul, I read your Q&A a lot (mostly at work), and man, you would think Pitt has lost all of their games! They are 3-1 going into South Florida this week and this is from a team that finished 5-7 last year. This is obviously the result of high expectations but shouldn't fans be happy with 7-5 or better? That's a big time improvement.

Srikant Narasimham, Washington, Pa.

ZEISE: No, I think in year four of this program, given where the Big East is right now and the schedule Pitt plays, 7-5 should not be considered acceptable. I understand why it will be enough for the coach to keep his job and I agree with that line of thinking -- he's shown progress, he got the team to a bowl -- but frankly there is no reason this team shouldn't be expected to finish with at least eight wins and have a winning record in the conference. Eight wins to me would be just about right and then would set this up for next season to be the real big breakout year as they'll have a lot of key personnel returning. But I also agree on this point -- though the three wins haven't been very pretty -- they are just that -- WINS. I mean, my goodness, think of all the disappointing losses this team has had over the past three years -- at least now they've won a few games. So be happy until proven otherwise.

Q: Paul you said "on this offense Jonathan Baldwin, LeSean McCoy, LaRod Stephens-Howling and Greg Cross are the only four who are genuine playmakers" Why is it that only one of these four players gets a chance to play?

Jeremy McIntyre, Washington, Pa.

ZEISE: Well, we got to see three of the four Saturday against Syracuse -- and not surprisingly they all made key plays. I mean, Dave Wannstedt conceded the bubble screen to Jonathan Baldwin on third-and-9 was basically a safe play that is designed not to get a first down in that situation but just get a few yards of field position and avoid a negative play. But Baldwin broke a tackle and made some nice moves to get to within a few feet of the first down and that enabled the Panthers to go for it on fourth and then continue to the game-tying score. The situation with Greg Cross is puzzling and frustrating -- I can't quite figure out why this kid was recruited if he is not going to be used. And if they are waiting to use him this week against South Florida, that is a terrible idea because the Bulls strength is this -- speed on defense. So Cross won't be the fastest player on the field and he won't be able to run wide or make people miss, which means it is not a good week to try and bring him out to showcase his talents. In fact, the only way you have a chance to beat the Bulls is if you man up and try to beat them the old fashioned way -- by pounding them with a power run game and keeping their offense off the field. And let's not forget that for the fifth week in a row, Jonathan Baldwin is allegedly -- according to the coaches -- in line for more playing time ...

Q: My son and I are season ticket holders and drive from Richmond to attend each home game and are surprised by the reaction of many Pitt fans to the coaching staff. It seems that Pitt's coaching staff's philosophy is very similar to what the locals here call "Beamer Ball" after the Virginia Tech's coach, who believes in running the football and special teams. The difference is that Virginia Tech fans hold Beamer in the same regard as they do Stonewall Jackson, Pitt fans are ready to hang our staff to the nearest tree.

Jim Price, Richmond, Va.

ZEISE: I've said it before and I'll say it again -- any coach could run a single wing with two different running plays and nobody would say a word if he won most of his games and consistently got his team to conference championships and BCS bowls. It isn't about style -- style only comes into play when a team is losing. That's why some guys who are run-and-shoot or spread guys get criticized for taking too many chances or being to careless when their decisions don't work out or they don't win. Pitt fans right now are frustrated because the Panthers haven't won a lot in recent years and that's where all the criticism of Wannstedt and Cavanaugh's "conservative" style come into play. I assure you, though, if the Panthers were to run through the rest of its schedule, finish 11-1 and get to a BCS Bowl, they could have won every game by a score of 5-3 and we wouldn't hear a word about how conservative the coaching staff is. It is all about winning and winning covers a multitude of sins. Frank Beamer has won a lot of games and has taken Virginia Tech to some great heights and that's why, even though his philosophy is also "prioritize the run game, defense and kicking game", he's considered an icon by that fan base.