COACH: Paul Chryst — At Pitt and overall: 1st year
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Joe Rudolph
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Dave Huxtable
LAST LEAGUE TITLE: 2010, co-champs
LAST TIME DIDN’T GO BOWLING: 2007
RETURNING STARTERS: 14; 8 offense, 4 defense, punter, kicker
PLAYERS TO WATCH: RB Ray Graham, WR Devin Street, TE Hubie Graham, DT Aaron Donald, LB Dan Mason, SS Ray Vinopal, FS Jarred Holley
PRIMARY STRENGTHS: The Panthers are transitioning from a spread offense to a pro-style offense — and that is a good thing because the team is deep at running back and the line is excellent at run blocking. Defensively, the tackle tandem might be the best in the Big East, and the secondary is extremely deep and versatile.
POTENTIAL PROBLEMS: The passing game should be improved, but Tino Sunseri must play much better than he did a year ago. The pass blocking is suspect and the receivers are mostly pedestrian, so it could be a struggle. The defensive and offensive lines are both extremely thin, and the linebacker group lacks experience.