marlo_stanfield: How long does the ND win save Wanny's job?

Paul Zeise: It was obviously a very big win for the program, not just Dave Wannstedt. He will be fine. Pitt just needs to find one more win and get to a bowl game and then he'll be in good shape and next year the Panthers will be set to make a legitimate run at 11 or 12 wins.

jekyll_and_hyde: Why does Oderick Turner see the field?

Paul Zeise: A great question but he played better this week than he had all season. I mean, he did a great job of making a play down the field on that fourth-and-1 and he made some good catches. But there is no question that there needs to be more Jonathan Baldwin and less Oderick Turner on the field because Baldwin has been a lot more productive.

Obama_08: Why no Greg Cross?

Paul Zeise: I think the coaches asked themselves this -- do we want Greg Cross to take direct snaps or LeSean McCoy? It was an easy question to answer. LeSean McCoy is the best player on the team and if Pitt is going to run Wildcat stuff, they want him to have the ball in his hands.

jekyll_and_hyde: Considering Pitt used 2 QBs and the wildcat, why didn't Greg Cross see the field at all? I saw his run against Iowa and the guy has game breaking ability and should see the field someway somehow. They are wasting this guy

Paul Zeise: I agree they could get more from Cross than they do and they could do some different things with him but in last Saturday's game -- I liked that they just made the decision to direct snap it to McCoy and let him make some plays without a quarterback handing it to him. The Wildcat was very sharp last week and they got a lot out of it.

jekyll_and_hyde: Where is Buddy Jackson or Antwuan Reed? They cant be any worse than Chappel and Gary.

Paul Zeise: Buddy Jackson has struggled with injuries all season and he's missed a few too many practices to be ready to play this year unless it is an absolute emergency. In fact, I'm not even certain he is healthy at this point as he has had some nagging hamstring or groin type injury throughout the early part of the season. Antwuan Reed has played a little bit but coaches like Ricky Gary -- and Reed is still a freshman so they aren't sure they want a true freshman out there on an island by himself for long stretches -- though you are right, the other two haven't exactly been Darelle Revis-like.....

marlo_stanfield: I understand that its a big win at least symbolically -- over the vaunted Notre Dame on the road -- but this wasn't the 1988 Notre Dame team. That's a pretty average squad they played ....

Paul Zeise: True but when you are a desperate team and you need a win and you have your back-up quarterback playing -- well you need to take what you can get. And I am going to tell you this -- I saw these guys warming up (Notre Dame) and there is no question that team has a lot of talent, a lot of big strong guys and a lot of speed and athleticism. Yeah, it might not be a great team -- but it isn't because they don't have players -- that team has talent.

jekyll_and_hyde: "Elijah Fields probably has as much to do as any player on our entire defense because he's in about four or five personnel packages," coach Dave Wannstedt said. Yet there are some games that he hardly sees the field and supposedly has trouble picking up the defenses. Doesnt make sense to me. And how many different PERSONNEL PACKAGES can they have as they may have more than any other college team in country

Paul Zeise: That goes for offense and defense!!! But there are a number of defensive subpackages that Pitt uses -- a three-man rush with eight in the back, a four-man rush with seven in the back, a three-man rush with four linebackers, a three-man rush with two linebackers and six DB's, a four-man rush with one linebacker and six DB's -- and on and on. Fields is used in all of them because he can cover like a defensive back and run support like a linebacker and he has the size to do anything they'd ask a linebacker to do. About the only personnel group he isn't in is the base defense because the starting safeties are DeCicco and Thatcher. And even then he comes in at strongside linebacker occasionally. He did disappear for a few games, but he is back in the mix now and he proved against Notre Dame that he needs to be on the field.

tee2ski: Any Chance we see a Div IA playoff in the near future? I do not see how a Big Least (or ACC) team can be worthy of a BCS bid over a 1 loss SEC or Big 12 team.

Paul Zeise: You can throw the Big Ten (plus one) into the group of conferences not really worthy of a BCS bid this year as well because that conference stinks as well. I mean, what is the Big Ten's signature win this year? Michigan State beating Notre Dame? Well, then I guess that makes them as good as Pitt ... Seriously, conferences go up and down, it is cyclical - and that being said I am wondering what Oklahoma and Georgia thinks about the Big East champ and its worthiness for being in a bowl game? The BCS has six conference champions and four wild cards (four BCS games and a national title game) -- there won't be any one loss team from the Big 12 or SEC left out of the BCS picture by anything other than the rule which says no conference can have more than two teams in the BCS. As for a playoff, I am of the firm belief now that it will never happen in my life time. It seems like college presidents will never come around and agree to it.

jekyll_and_hyde: Is Tino Sunseri the future QB of this team?

Paul Zeise: He is now but I'd assume they'll recruit one or two more before it is his turn to step into the job so we will see. Coaches like him a lot and he has been a very good player (in practice and running the scout team) so his future looks bright. But he still has at least one more year to sit on the bench before he gets his shot and a lot can happen in that time.

Omar_Little: Is it possible that a team can have 5 quarterbacks and none of them are really any good?

Paul Zeise: Yes, it is, though like I said I think Tino Sunseri is pretty good and I think that Bill Stull has been pretty solid throughout this season. And say what you want about Pat Bostick but he has been able to get it done on some of the biggest stages Pitt has played on this year. I don't know if they have a big-time quarterback on the team, but I think all five have some strengths and coaches have done a good job of trying to utilize them.

jekyll_and_hyde: Is Pitt looking at bringing in a center in its recruiting to back up Houser next year as Davis will be gone?

Paul Zeise: Well they still have Greg Gaskins and I think there are a couple of other options still on the team. But they are trying to find someone to take over for Houser after next year and that is not always an easy position to find someone to fill.

Mills: Paul, do you have any updates on the Panthers recruiting efforts? I know they are in the running for several solid players, but haven't heard anything in a while?

Paul Zeise: Yes, they are in a holding pattern -- like most teams are right now -- and I think how they finish will go a long way towards setting up the finish of recruiting season. And I believe this -- if this team does well, there will be some big recruiting catches in January which is when Dave Wannstedt has done his best work -- despite not having a winning season yet. Coming off a winning season, they believe they'll have a shot at some good, good players.

jekyll_and_hyde: Does Pitt have any QBs on their radar recruiting wise?

Paul Zeise: Yes, the kid from Sto-Rox, Paul Jones, is apparently very high on their list. He's a junior now so he'd enroll in 2010.

jekyll_and_hyde: What ever happened to getting Lucas Nix on the field for some plays to get him experience? They wasted his redshirt.

Paul Zeise: Well yes and no -- they wasted it from the standpoint of he has only played a few plays here and there -- but if someone goes down they wanted him to be ready because he is their next guy in line and right now, that position is too critical to a team that is trying to win a conference championship to be caught without any plan. And here is the other thing -- if Nix were to get hurt in the next three years, he now still has a year to redshirt so it isn't all bad to have a redshirt in your pocket.

Mills: I saw Pitt also offered a QB from Michigan in the class of 2010 yesterday. Any word on him?

Paul Zeise: No I don't know much about him and I doubt he'll be making a decision until next summer at the earliest.

Omar_Little: That's a good take on ND. Do you think Weis is an overrated boob then? I sure do.

Paul Zeise: I think that he has recruited well. I think he has good players. He signed like six or seven of the top 100 players in 2007 for instance. I think that generally when a team has good players and often loses games against teams with similar or better talent -- that perhaps the coach is not getting the job done. Weis had Pitt on the ropes on Saturday and for whatever reason took his foot off the gas.

itsonlyagame: If Dominick Williams does not work out at guard what is the coaching staffs alternate plan for the rest of the season?

Paul Zeise: Lucas Nix would likely be the next guy in at that spot -- or they could move Joe Thomas back in there and promote Nix to starter at Thomas's tackle spot.

Obama_08: Give us your best scouting report on Louisville ...

Paul Zeise: A very athletic team. A lot of team speed. A very good running game and an inconsistent passing game -- that can be potent. I think Victor Anderson is one of the better backs in the country. Defensively they seem to have a lot of team speed but also seem to have some breakdowns so I think Pitt should be able to score some against them. I will be interested to see how Pitt fares in stopping the run game since this is the first team (I don't count Navy because that is a different animal) since probably Syracuse or Iowa who will line up and try to run at the Panthers.

kelso: Is Shady able to leave after this year? I thought you had to be a rising senior to go to the NFL (3 years out of highschool)

Paul Zeise: No you have to have three seasons pass between your last season of high school football. He has a prep year and two college years, so he's eligible if he wants to leave.

jekyll_and_hyde: What is word on Todd Thomas? I know he verbally committed to Pitt but had heard he may have some issues with academics.

Paul Zeise: He clearly has some work to do in order to get eligible, but if he does, my goodness he will be a very nice addition to a receiving corps that already features Jonathan Baldwin.

Paul Zeise: OK folks, that is all the time we have. We'll chat again next week, same time, same channel!!