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2008 Pittsburgh Panthers

Written July 14, 2008 by Jason Lowry

To get going on the upcoming NCAA football season Jason Lowry is ready to make his 2008 Pittsburgh Panthers football predictions. The Panthers are coming off a pretty disappointing season where they finished just 5-7 overall and failed to make a bowl game for a 3rd straight season. Head coach Dave Wanstedt is likely in a do or die season for his job, as fans are in need of a winning season. The Panthers bring back 15 starters this season, but they do have one of the toughest schedules in the conference. To get a good idea at what the Panthers will look like in the upcoming season, here is a quick look at both sides of the ball, followed by our prediction on how the Panthers will finish the 2008 season.

Offense:
The Panthers got 8 returning starting back on this side of the ball, and they need to show a lot of improvement as this team was near the bottom in points scored and total yards in the Big East last season. The Panthers have plenty of choices at the quarterback spot, as 3 guys return who seen action last season, the likely winner of the job will go to junior Bill Stull, but don’t count out Pat Bostick. The team just might have the next superstar running back to come out of the Big East in sophomore LeSean McCoy who put up 1,328 yards and 14 touchdowns as a freshman. The Panthers also have some great talent at the receiver positions in senior Derek Kinder and junior Oderick Turner, plus they have one of the best tight ends in junior Nate Byham. The offensive line only brings back 2 starters in senior LG CJ Davis and junior RT Joe Thomas. It looks like the team will turn to junior Robb House at center, junior John Malecki at right guard, and sophomore Jason Pinkston at the left tackle spot.

Defense:
The Panthers bring back 7 starters on defense, so there is a good balance of starters coming back on both sides of the ball. The defensive line should be solid this season as they return one of the best defensive ends in Greg Romeus who had 4 sacks and 7.5 tackles for loss as a freshman. Junior Mick williams and senior Rashaad Duncan are a force at the defensive tackle spot, and it looks like sophomore Jabaal Sheard will take over at the other starting end spot. The Panthers bring back all 3 starters at the linebacker position, and the best of the group is withoutt question senior middle linebacker Scott McKillop, but senior Adam Gunn and junior Shane Murray both had solid seasons a year ago. The secondary brings back just 2 starters in senior free safety Eric thatcher and junior corner Aaron Berry. It looks like junior Jovani Chappel will take over at the open corner spot, while sophomore Dom DeCicco will take over at the strong safety spot.

Prediction: 4th in the Big East
We think that this team is good enough to win the 6-7 games needed to play in a bowl game, but we don’t think they are ready to compete for the Big East title. The Panthers are solid on both sides of the ball, but lack the offensive explosion that will be needed to keep up with the other top teams in the conference. An early home game against the Iowa Hawkeyes could tell a lot on just how good this team will be.

Be sure to check back often as we continue to round up our NCAA football predictions, and get ready to start our NFL preview and predictions. If you are looking for a place to get going on your football betting, head over to Sportsbook.com today and get an account started.

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