football: Pitt's chance to beat WVU? Non-existent

I've laughed several time this week while reading the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's pregame coverage of today's Backyard Brawl (Pitt Panthers vs. West Virginia Mountaineers). Much of the coverage suggested that Pitt actually has a chance to beat their biggest rival.

No way. West Virginia, ranked No. 2 in the BCS Standings and the AP pool, and No. 1 in the USA Today poll, simply needs to win this game to make it the national championship. Pitt stopped dreaming about being ranked a long time ago, and their 2-4 Big East record can't even send shivers of fear to WVU. The game's in Morgantown, and I'd bet money on couches being burned in a victory celebration tonight.

Meanwhile, Pitt seems to favor rewarding failure. They've extended football coach Dave Wannstedt's contract, and rehired former athletic director Steve Pederson (yeah, that's right, the man who tried to change Pitt to Pittsburgh).