Unranked and rankled, Pitt's Pat Narduzzi demands explanation

Pat Narduzzi usually doesn’t listen to outside noise. He likes to duck into a foxhole with his players, ignore the rest of the world — especially when people express opinions about his team — and focus on preparing for the season.

It’s a strategy coaches and managers in all sports have used for decades.

So, it was no surprise Tuesday when he said he did not notice Pitt failed to receive a mention from any of the 62 voters in the Associated Press preseason Top 25 poll. Released Monday, it had five-time defending ACC champion Clemson No. 1, North Carolina at 18 and five other conference teams — Virginia Tech, Miami, Louisville, Virginia and Florida State — receiving votes, just not enough to make the Top 25. Pitt had zero.

When Narduzzi was told someone on Tuesday’s Zoom call is an AP voter, he wanted to know the man’s name. I raised my hand.

My AP preseason poll, submitted 8/15: Bama, Clemson, Ohio St, OK, Fla, LSU, Georgia, Oregon, ND, Tex A&M, PSU, Auburn, Wisconsin, OK St, Texas, Mich, UNC, Iowa St, Minnesota, Iowa, Cincinnati, Tenn, USC, UCF, Ariz St

— Jerry DiPaola (@JDiPaola_Trib) August 24, 2020

“Do not send him the Zoom link anymore,” Narduzzi said, pointing out the worst form of punishment any reporter can receive these days.

“Are you kidding me, Jerry?”

I thought he was kidding — and I still think he was kidding — but he seemed offended when he said, “Why did you not vote for us?”

In my mind, he was not as angry as he sounded, but I heard it as a serious question that demanded an honest answer.

That’s OK. In my line of work, I welcome transparency.

Without specifically mentioning the 28-0 loss to Virginia Tech, I explained Pitt lost three of its last five regular-season games last season and also suffered a significant personnel blow when preseason All-American defensive tackle Jaylen Twyman opted out at the outset of training camp.

Believe it or not, I was not trying to win favor when I honestly said, “I think you’re going to have a good season. I’d put you maybe at 28, 29.”

His response: “I used to like you.”

"I like the football team we've got."@CoachDuzzPittFB met with the media after practice today to recap Saturday's scrimmage and provide camp updates.

Pat Narduzzi • Media Q&Ahttps://t.co/jKlTan4IF8 ?#H2P pic.twitter.com/FF7MoMH6bs

— Pitt Football (@Pitt_FB) August 25, 2020

Again, kidding. But when someone asked Narduzzi if the snub by all 62 voters might offend his players, he agreed that was a probability. “I would hope they play with a chip.”

He added the retort, “Typical,” indicating his perception of what most outsiders think of the Pitt program — good, but not good enough. If it gives his team an edge, so be it.

“You do have a pretty good defense coming back with some pretty good players,” Narduzzi said. “Jerry talked about losing Jaylen. That’s one guy. Last year, we lost (Rashad) Weaver and (Keyshon) Camp. Knock on wood, we don’t lose anybody else.”

(Narduzzi’s worst fear was realized hours later when he announced senior cornerback Damarri Mathis will miss the season with a nonfootball related injury.)

Narduzzi, who used to have a vote in the USA Today/Coaches poll, said with conviction he would put Pitt in his Top 25.

He declined to say where he would place Pitt in the rankings, but he added, “I’ll take our quarterback (Kenny Pickett, approaching his third season as a starter) any single day, and I like the football team we got.”

Then he added, “What the hell do I know? Jerry knows a hell of a lot more than me. I should be asking Jerry questions.”

Actually, I was surprised none of the 62 voters listed Pitt on their Top 25 ballot. (Voters were told to consider every team, even those from conferences that postponed fall football.) So, I sent an email blast to every voter to unearth what they might be thinking.

Here are some of the responses, originating from eight states:

Matt Baker, Tampa Bay Times

Pitt was among the teams I considered, but I’m not ready to buy into the Panthers yet. Losing Jalen Twyman was definitely a factor in how I view Pitt. I had him on my preseason All-America team. With him, Pitt’s defensive line would be one of the best in the country. Without him? I expect some sort of drop off, which weakens their argument.

I put a greater premium than usual on recent recruiting rankings this year because of the pandemic. I expect there to be outbreaks that mess up teams’ rosters throughout the course of the season, so teams with the most depth will be able to withstand those outbreaks the best. Pitt hasn’t been recruiting at a top-25 level, and that dinged them in my eyes.

To me, Pitt has the potential to be a top-25 team in normal times and to be even higher than that, given the smaller pool of eligible teams. I view them similarly to Miami in some ways. The potential is there, especially on defense. But I don’t trust them yet. I want to see it on the field first before I start believing they can rise above their recent history.

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Bob Asmussen, Champaign (Ill.) News-Gazette

Pitt is certainly on my radar, especially with the Big Ten, Pac-12, MAC and Mountain West sitting out. Right now, I have the Panthers just outside my Top 25 among the teams still scheduled to play. While the loss of Jaylen Twyman is a big deal, it did not cost Pitt on my ballot. If the season is played, I expect Pitt to get off to a fast start and could easily move into my Top 25 in a hurry.

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Norm Wood, Daily Press (Newport News, Va.)/The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, Va.)

I didn’t consider Pitt a great deal for my Top 25. I had it around 40th in my initial rankings even with Twyman.

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Soren Petro, Sports Radio 810 WHB, Overland Park, Kan.

I had Pitt in my top 40, and with their early schedule, they should make their way into my top 25 during the first half of the season. Now for why they aren’t in the top 25 to start. First, the offense left a lot to be desired last year. They bring back a lot of experience on the OL, but it’s experience that struggled to run the ball last year. I think they will be better on the line of scrimmage, but I need to see it first. Next, I’m a big believer in coaches track records. They tend to do what they do. This is Year 6 for Narduzzi, and right now, Pitt looks like they are a program that is a solid team but not a threat to move to the head of the class. Of course, it change that narrative this year, but eight wins appears to be the program’s ceiling.

•••

Colten Bartholomew, Wisconsin State Journal

I used a combination of the production a team has coming back and its last couple of seasons’ success. Pitt had a good year last year for sure, but compared to the rest of the teams in my Top 25, had far less returning production. Twyman’s opt-out absolutely was a factor in the returning production.

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Conor O’Neill, Winston-Salem (N.C.) Journal

Yes, Twyman’s opt-out decision played a role in Pitt not landing on my ballot. I wouldn’t say it was the main reason, but I had Twyman as an All-America pick and losing him from the middle seems irreplaceable — at least in the short term.

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Ryan Aber, The Oklahoman

Pitt was among the teams I took a hard look at when I got to the last 7-8 spots in my poll, but the Panthers’ defense is what made them a team to consider. Without Twyman, that defense has much less teeth. They can certainly overcome it, and with less teams in the pool, they have a chance to be in my rankings quickly, but Twyman’s decision to opt out made a big difference for me in where I put them in the preseason.

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Robert Long, 105.7 The Fan, Baltimore

Pitt is one of those teams that gets in if it wins the first two and someone near the bottom loses. I actually have my eye on them because I think they’re, if not good, intriguing.