It's only N.C. State. Ho-hum, no biggie...
That's the attitude of a lot of Pitt Panthers fans in anticipation of the team's trip to North Carolina this Saturday, but it's one that could sink a season that's quickly taking on some promise if the players subscribe to it.
With more significant contests on-deck in the highly competitive Big East, you could make the argument that this game is merely a speed bump on the way to meetings later in the year with Notre Dame, WVU, and Cincinnati.
Don't sell the Wolfpack short, though. While they're not the best team in the ACC by a long shot - not even one of the better teams in the conference for that matter - they're certainly better than Youngstown State, Buffalo, and Navy.
The Panthers need this one in order to give those games against the Irish, the 'Eers, and the Bearcats some serious meaning. They need to get in the Top 25. They need to kick around N.C. State and have a take-no-prisoners attitude on BOTH sides of the ball, not just defense.
A win this weekend puts Pitt on the national scene in 2009 and makes a whole lot of things possible, if not probable. It makes wins on the road at Rutgers and in Morgantown meaningful. It just may be the first stop along the road to a BCS bowl.
A loss in Raleigh Saturday afternoon though would shut that road down faster than a group of peacefully protesting Anarchists on Penn Avenue during the G20.