In my opinion, next Thursday's game at Pitt is one of the top three most important SU football games this century. The other two are the 2018 and 2022 games at Clemson. We had Clemson on the ropes in the 4th quarter in both of those games, but we just couldn't close.
If we lose at Pitt, it's not the end of the world, but we're probably looking at a Pinstripe Bowl appearance, which quite frankly bores me to death after having been to all three of them. Playing at Yankee Stadium the first time was very cool. It's not cool anymore. It's freezing and the sight lines suck.
Honestly, if not this year, then when? The playoff has expanded. We have our best QB in a quarter century. We have our best tight end in 30 years. LQA is clutch out of his mind. We have playmakers. We should have our best defender back. We have a special teams unit that puts most Pop Warner teams to shame.
Pitt will be a very difficult team to beat. They're fundamentally sound and have had our number for two decades, but they aren't scary good by any means. Cal could have easily beat them with a chip shot field goal. After that we play four games against solid but also beatable teams (VT, BC, Cal, UConn). If the stars align, we are looking at the biggest game inside the friendly confines since the 1992 Miami game, and a possible Gameday location if Miami is undefeated.
It's certainly possible that this all falls apart and we finish with 4 or 5 losses, but I don't know. I just have this sneaking suspicion that something special is brewing. It's mid-October and we control our own destiny. In my lifetime, those are words that we have been able to utter very rarely.
