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Q: I've noticed that there aren't any recruits from Florida in the 2010 recruiting class. Also, no Florida prospects so far in the 2011 class. This is surprising to me given their history with Florida and their current starting lineup. Is this a change in recruiting strategy?

Ken Byrom, Cranberry

ZEISE: Yes, Dave Wannstedt has de-emphasized Florida as a primary recruiting area because he believes that the Panthers have a better chance of getting the best players from the states surrounding Pennsylvania, particularly Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey. Pitt will still recruit in Florida and obviously try to get some skill position players if and when there are some who makes sense but I don't know that you'll see the classes with six or seven guys from Florida any more. Pitt has made inroads in New Jersey and is working on making some inroads into Virginia and Maryland. Dave Wannstedt is a firm believer that Pitt has a much better chance to recruit a kid if it can get them into camp and onto campus early in the process and kids from those states can jump in a car and be at Pitt in five or six hours or less.

Q: Oderick Turner once again showed his stone hands in key situations against Notre Dame. He's done this for the past three years yet somehow manages to keep getting the start. How could Mike Shanahan, Cameron Saddler or Aundre Wright be any worse?

Matt Nicholas, Philadelphia

ZEISE: Turner has been a guy who has really frustrated a lot of fans. He is big, he is fast, you see the makings of what should be a really good receiver, but he has been somewhat of an enigma. Against Notre Dame last year, he made the biggest catch of the game and it was a tough catch and he made a nice run. But too often, he has made key drops and that speaks to one thing -- a lack of concentration. He just doesn't seem to play with maximum effort and focus every time he takes the field. I know since he is a veteran guy -- with NFL ties -- Dave Wannstedt has cut him some slack. I do think that Mike Shanahan has shown enough that he should be a bigger part of things.

Q: If Pitt loses to Cincinnati, would it be possible for the Panthers to get a Gator Bowl invitation over Notre Dame?

Michael Cunningham, Wilkinsburg

ZEISE: I think honestly Notre Dame, barring some unforseen circumstances, is no longer realistically in the Gator Bowl picture. Pitt likely needs to beat West Virginia, however, because the Gator Bowl would almost certainly take a 9-3 West Virginia team over a 9-3 Pitt team and, frankly, even if Pitt wins, would likely think long and hard about taking an 8-4 West Virginia team over a 10-2 Pitt team. This is a year that Pitt fans' reputation for not traveling well to bowl games -- or, heck, for that matter to Heinz Field, will catch up and really bite them unless the Panthers go to a BCS bowl. The Gator Bowl took a really mediocre Clemson team last year because bowl officials knew it meant a big number in terms of ticket sales. Pitt's best case scenario for the Gator Bowl would be this -- beat WVU and lose to Cincinnati and have Rutgers beat West Virginia. But even then -- a 9-3 Rutgers team would probably be more attractive in terms of fan support and ticket sales than a 10-2 Pitt team so I suppose Panthers fans need to hope Louisville can upset Rutgers as well. Again, I've said it before - - fans and fan bases who don't travel to bowl games -- and there is nothing wrong with that as there are limited entertainment dollars and everything else -- can't complain when their team gets passed over for the better games by teams they beat. Pitt really needs to just win the conference and then sell out its ticket allotment to whatever BCS bowl game it gets invited to.

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