2010 Pittsburgh Panthers football team
Encyclopedia
Rankings
The Panthers debuted at #15 in the preseason Coaches' Poll. and in the preseason Associated Press (AP) Poll.Sports Illustrated ranked Pitt #16 in the annual College Football Preview issue on August 16, 2010.
Rivals.com listed Pitt at #14 in their preseason picks on August 20, 2010.
CBSSports.com ranked Pitt #13 in the preseason rankings of all 120 FBS teams on August 30, 2010.
| Poll | Pre | Wk 1 | Wk 2 | Wk 3 | Wk 4 | Wk 5 | Wk 6 | Wk 7 | Wk 8 | Wk 9 | Wk 10 | Wk 11 | Wk 12 | Wk 13 | Wk 14 | Final |
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| AP AP Poll The Associated Press College Poll refers to weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling sportswriters across the nation... |
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| Harris Harris Interactive College Football Poll The Harris Interactive College Football Poll is a weekly ranking of the top 25 NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football teams. The rankings are compiled by Harris Interactive, a market research company that specializes in Internet research.... |
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| BCS Bowl Championship Series The Bowl Championship Series is a selection system that creates five bowl match-ups involving ten of the top ranked teams in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , including an opportunity for the top two to compete in the BCS National Championship Game.The BCS relies on a combination of... |
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Rankings notes
- A The first Harris Interactive Poll was released after the sixth week of games, and the final version will be released at the conclusion of the regular season but prior to the bowl season2009–10 NCAA football bowl gamesThe 2009–10 NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision College Football Post-Season followed the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season. It comprises 34 team-competitive bowl games, and three all-star games. The games began play on December 19, 2009 and included the 2010 BCS National Championship...
. - B The first BCS Ranking will be released after the seventh week of games, and the final ranking will be released at the conclusion of the regular season but prior to the bowl season.
Utah
Sophomore Tino Sunseri made his first career start at quarterback. Pitt trailed 24–13 halfway through the fourth quarter. With 7:11 left, Sunseri completed a 44-yard touchdown pass to Jonathan BaldwinJonathan Baldwin
Jonathan Dupree Baldwin is an American football wide receiver for the Kansas City Chiefs.-College career:Baldwin played for the University of Pittsburgh...
, and a two-point conversion made it 24–21. Dan Hutchins kicked a 30-yard field goal to tie the game and end regulation. In overtime, Utah won the toss and elected to play defense. On the first play of overtime, Sunseri was intercepted by Utah freshman Brian Blechen. A few plays later Joe Phillips made a 21-yard field goal to give the Utes the 27–24 victory.
Sunseri finished 16 of 28 with 184 yards, Dion Lewis
Dion Lewis
Dion John Lewis is an American football running back for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Eagles in the fifth round of the 2011 NFL Draft...
carried 25 times for 75 yards and one touchdown, and Baldwin led receivers with four receptions for 71 yards and a touchdown.
New Hampshire
Pitt's first home game of the season was against the New Hampshire WildcatsNew Hampshire Wildcats
The New Hampshire Wildcats, or Cats, are the athletic teams of the University of New Hampshire. The wildcat is the school's official mascot, the colors are UNH Blue and white...
, who at the time of the game were ranked as the #6 team in Division I FCS (I-AA). The Wildcats were able to contain Dion Lewis, who finished the game with 27 yards on 10 carries. However, sophomore Ray Graham had 9 carries for 116 yards and two touchdowns. Tino Sunseri improved in his second career start, completing 24 of 34 passes for 275 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception. The receiving touchdowns went to Cameron Saddler for 2 yards and Jon Baldwin for 56; Baldwin led receivers with 6 for 100 yards. Defensive end Greg Romeus
Greg Romeus
Greg Romeus is an American football defensive end for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League. He played as a defensive end for the Pittsburgh Panthers at the University of Pittsburgh. Romeus played football for just one year before entering college...
sat out his second consecutive game due to injury, in hopes of returning against the Miami Hurricanes
2010 Miami Hurricanes football team
The 2010 Miami Hurricanes football team represented the University of Miami during the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Hurricanes were coached by Randy Shannon during the regular season, then coached by Jeff Stoutland during their bowl game and played their home games at Sun Life...
on September 23. However, Romeus underwent back surgery to relieve a herniated disc and will miss up to 6 weeks. Pitt improved its record against FCS teams to 9-0.
Post-season
On December 7, 2010, Wannstedt resigned as head coach, reportedly under pressure following a disappointing 7-5 regular season and having failed to advance to a BCSBowl Championship Series
The Bowl Championship Series is a selection system that creates five bowl match-ups involving ten of the top ranked teams in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , including an opportunity for the top two to compete in the BCS National Championship Game.The BCS relies on a combination of...
bowl during his tenure. Wannstedt accepted a position as Special Assistant to the Athletic Director at the university.
Following this, Michael Haywood
Michael Haywood
-External links:* *...
, the former coach of the Miami University
Miami University
Miami University is a coeducational public research university located in Oxford, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1809, it is the 10th oldest public university in the United States and the second oldest university in Ohio, founded four years after Ohio University. In its 2012 edition, U.S...
Redhawks
Miami RedHawks football
The Miami University RedHawks, known as the Miami Redskins before 1996, are a NCAA Division I FBS college football program that competes in the Mid-American Conference...
, was hired as Pitt's new head coach on December 16, 2010. Haywood was arrested on December 31, 2010 on a charge of domestic battery, which was later upgraded to a felony. Pitt chancellor Mark Nordenberg
Mark Nordenberg
Mark A. Nordenberg , also known as "Nordy" to many students, is a lawyer and the seventeenth Chancellor of the University of Pittsburgh.In 1977, he joined the faculty of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law...
announced Haywood's firing the next day, on January 1, 2011.
Wannstedt announced on January 3 that he would not coach the bowl game and defensive coordinator Phil Bennett
Phil Bennett (American football)
-External links:*...
would take over the team on an interim basis for the BBVA Compass Bowl against Kentucky
2010 Kentucky Wildcats football team
The 2010 Kentucky Wildcats football team represented the University of Kentucky during the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Wildcats, led by first-year head coach Joker Phillips, competed in the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference and played their home games at Commonwealth...
, which Pitt won 27-10.
Controversy also arose when an investigation by Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
revealed that the university's 2010 football team had 22 players with criminal records, the most by any team ranked in the magazine's pre-season top 25 rankings. Athletic Director Steve Pederson
Steve Pederson
Steve Pederson is the athletic director at the University of Pittsburgh. He held the same post there from 1996 to 2002 and at the University of Nebraska from 2002 to 2007.-First Pittsburgh tenure:...
called the number of incidents "totally unacceptable", stating that the athletic department was "addressing the situation" including having already instituted more intense "background research". Ousted coach Dave Wannstedt defended his past "body of work" but acknowledged "an unfortunate stretch of incidents" the previous summer stating that "every player and each incident was evaluated on an individual basis" and that "we did our due diligence to make sure that we treated each player fair". The Sports Illustrated report received criticism for its lack of context, methodology, and sensationalism.