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Pitt doesn't deserve Top 25 ranking -- yet

Last week there were a few howls when the Pittsburgh Panthers college football team was left out of the Top 25.

They were 27th in the Associated Press poll after winning their first two games, and a win against Buffalo seemed to be enough to vault the Panthers into the Top 25.

The Panthers did their part, beating the Bulls. However, the pollsters didn't agree. They actuallly dropped the Panthers a couple spots.

So, armed with a potential chip on their shoulder, the Panthers traveled to N.C. State on Saturday and naturally lost.

Pitt was in control of the game, leading 31-17 late into the third quarter.

N.C. State scored three straight touchdowns and the Panthers missed out on a first-and-goal at the end of the game to tie it.

So much for being a nationally ranked team.

Going into the season, the Panthers didn't have many questions on defense. The offense was the unit that was up in the air.

How would quarterback Bill Stull be? Who would be the running back?

Well, we know those answers.

We're still waiting for the defense to show up.

The Big East portion of the schedule begins Friday against Louisville, so the time to start is now.

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