Little Orphan Annie didn't show up at the Pitt South Side facility yesterday but then again, she didn't need to because the Panthers have discovered on their own that the sun will indeed come up again tomorrow no matter how big the disappointment is today.

Pitt, of course, had aspirations of a Big East Conference championship and a Bowl Championship Series game but, after a 9-1 start, lost its final two games in heartbreaking fashion and finished in third place.

The Panthers' final game -- a 45-44 loss to Cincinnati Dec. 5 -- was especially excruciating because they blew a 21-point second-quarter lead, a 14-point fourth-quarter lead and lost on a Bearcats touchdown in the final minute.

That game was played with the Big East title on the line and immediately after, Pitt's players -- particularly the seniors -- were visibly disappointed and talked a lot about missed opportunities.

But the Panthers had finals the week after that game and this week and thus got a chance to get away from football for an extended period of time. They put that game out of their system and are focused on getting their 10th win of the season against North Carolina at the Meineke Car Care Bowl Dec. 26.

"It is great to be back," Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt said yesterday before the Panthers' first practice since the Cincinnati loss. "I think it is important we go out and not just practice these three days before we leave but practice with a purpose. These seniors have done so much to bring this program back to national prominence but we have to finish the thing out.

"We had two tough, tough losses to end the season so we have to finish and finish on a positive note. We're going to enjoy the bowl game but it is business and we need to go down there and understand that. The best thing about this is we have another game to play and that means we have another opportunity to turn disappointment into positive.

"Our kids are talking about [the bowl game] and they have started to watch the tape so now I can sense that our guys are getting into the challenges."

Wannstedt said the players have done a great job of trying to get past the Cincinnati game but he doesn't think that having it fresh in their minds is necessarily a bad thing because it is motivation for them down the road in future endeavors.

"I don't know if [the loss to Cincinnati] will ever get out of their minds completely, but you deal with it in a positive way and you learn from it," Wannstedt said. "What can we learn from it, what can we correct and then you go from there."

One thing that should make preparation for this game a little easier is that the Tar Heels (8-4) are a mirror image of the Panthers, particularly on defense.

That's not a surprise given that both Wannstedt and North Carolina coach Butch Davis are from the same coaching tree -- Jimmy Johnson -- and worked together under Johnson on the defensive staffs at Oklahoma State, the University of Miami and the Dallas Cowboys.

"We come from the same background," Wannstedt said. "We have a long history together, our wives are friends, we keep in touch. They are running the same defense as we are. It is incredible to see, they are running the 4-3 defense built the same way, the same exact way. And on offense they are trying to run play-action passes, waggles. It is a pro-style offense and a pro defense. We may have a few different wrinkles but as far as the foundation, these two teams are about as close to being a mirror image of each other as anyone is going to see throughout the country."

NOTES -- Tailback Dion Lewis was named the ECAC rookie of the year. And along with Lewis, Jonathan Baldwin, Dorin Dickerson, Jason Pinkston, John Malecki, Greg Romeus, Mick Williams and Adam Gunn were named to the All-ECAC team. ... A day after Pitt basketball coach Jamie Dixon voiced his strong objections about the idea of the Panthers some day leaving the Big East and joining the Big Ten, Wannstedt was asked the same question but didn't bite. "It is not my place right now to comment on that," Wannstedt said. ... Wannstedt said he has talked with one underclassman -- junior Greg Romeus -- about the possibility of leaving school early for the NFL. "We talked about a week ago about how I saw him and his future," Wannstedt said. "I feel very confident he will be back. I'll visit with his parents and we're gathering information but we need to be sure we are doing the best thing for Greg." ... Wannstedt said the Panthers should be at full strength for the bowl game, at least from a health standpoint. "The finals are just finishing up right now so I expect we will know more on [academic eligibility]. There may be a few surprises, but we'll see," Wannstedt said. ... Tony Wise was named the footballscoop.com national offensive line coach of the year. ... Wannstedt said the three practices (yesterday, today and tomorrow) will be like "going back to training camp." He then added "you better bring your mouthpiece."

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