This was from the Big East media day...... Personally, I'm not sold on the guy. Yea, I know he's a "home-grown" product and all, but I just don't think he's done enough over the time he's been there to warrant "NOT" being on the hot seat.... Other than beating WVU last season.... .... Just my opinion.
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Pederson says Wannstedt not on hot seat this year
AD pleased with way coach builds program
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
By Paul Zeise, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Joe Giblin/Associated PressPitt coach Dave Wannstedt on the hot seat? That's news to the man that controls the heat -- athletic director Steve Pederson.NEWPORT, R.I. -- Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt is mentioned by several national publications as a coach "on the hot seat," meaning, if the Panthers don't have a good season, his job might be in jeopardy.

That's news to at least one interested party -- Wannstedt's boss, Pitt athletic director Steve Pederson, who said yesterday at Big East media day that Wannstedt's job is not on the line and that the coach is not going anywhere for quite a long time.

Pederson said he has been impressed by the way Wannstedt and his staff have approached the offseason. He added that there is no question the program is on the right track and has a solid foundation for the future.

"We've made great progress," Pederson said. "I think often times, particularly in football, it doesn't always happen as fast as people would like. It takes awhile to get linemen physically and mentally ready to play -- it takes some time. And I saw some good things in the WVU game, a lot of good things, and I think we'll continue to see that.

"And, obviously, by extending his contract at the end of last year, we made a statement about how we feel about Dave and his program. We need stability, and what I like about Dave is he has carefully built an entire program, not just a team, but a program that is going to be good for a long period and he is doing it for all the right reasons."

Mountaineers still the one
West Virginia was selected as the favorite to win the Big East title in a preseason poll of media members covering the league.

The Mountaineers received 22 of a possible 24 first-place votes while the other first-place votes went to South Florida and Pitt. The Bulls were picked to finish second followed in order by the Panthers, Rutgers, Cincinnati, Connecticut and Syracuse.

"I obviously hope that [winning the Big East] comes to pass," said first-year West Virginia coach Bill Stewart.

New bowl added
The Big East has six bowl agreements this year, including a new addition to the bowl lineup, the St. Petersburg Bowl at Tropicana Field. The game will match a Big East team against a Conference USA team.

The conference's other five bowl games are the BCS, the Gator or Sun, the Meineke Car Care Bowl (Charlotte, N.C.), the Papajohns.Com Bowl (Birmingham, Ala.) and the International Bowl (Toronto).

McCoy's mind on Pitt
Pitt sophomore running back LeSean McCoy was asked several times if he will consider leaving Pitt after this season and head to the NFL two seasons early. McCoy would be eligible since he went to prep school for a year.

"I'm not ready for that yet," McCoy said.

"Coach Wannstedt always tells me, 'When the time is right, you'll know.' I'm just not feeling that I am ready for the NFL and the lifestyle -- I need to get bigger, faster and stronger, and I like the college lifestyle to be honest. I'll know when it is time to think about that, but I really don't think it will be much of a decision for me after this year because there is a whole lot going on at Pitt right now for me."