2004 Pittsburgh
8–4 (4–2 Big East), coached by Walt Harris, finished No. 25 in the AP poll. Share
Schedule and results
- Biggest upsetBeat No. 21 West Virginia 16–13Nov 25
West Virginia was ranked No. 21, above it.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 11 | vs Ohio | W 24–3 | 80% |
| Sep 18 | vs Nebraska | L 17–24 | 58% |
| Sep 25 | vs Furman | W 41–38 | 76% |
| Sep 30 | at UConn | L 17–29 | 45% |
| Oct 9 | at Temple | W 27–22 | 71% |
| Oct 16 | vs Boston College | W 20–17 | 47% |
| Oct 23 | vs Rutgers | W 41–17 | 74% |
| Nov 6 | at Syracuse | L 31–38 | 50% |
| Nov 13 | at 24Notre Dame | W 41–38 | 36% |
| Nov 25 | vs 21West Virginia | W 16–13 | 50% |
| Dec 4 | at South Florida | W 43–14 | 61% |
| Jan 1Bowls & playoff | vs 5UtahFiesta Bowl | L 7–35 | 33% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
How it ended: Lost to Utah 35–7 in the Fiesta Bowl; No. 25 in the final AP poll; Big East champions.
In program history: The 49th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 128 on file).
AP poll, week by week
- Wk 15: 19
- Final: 25
Big East champions4–2 in the conference, shared with Boston College, Syracuse and West Virginia
- Record
- 8–4
- Conference
- 4–2 shared first in Big East
- AP final
- No. 25 peak No. 19
- Points
- 325–288
- Coach
- Walt Harris
- Elo
- 1599 +26 this season
- SP+ rating
- 6.4 No. 48 of 120; offense No. 59, defense No. 41
- SRS
- 2.2 No. 52 of 119 in Division I-A
- Recruiting class
- No. 42
- Defensive coordinator
- Paul Rhoads
- Offense
- West Coast
- Defense
- Multiple 8-man front
How good, play by play
| EPA per play | Success | Explosiveness | FBS rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | -0.06 | 33% | 1.13 | 55th of 118 |
| Defense | -0.07 | 35% | 1.04 | 33rd of 118 |
How these are measured
Play-weighted averages over games against FBS opponents; raw numbers, not adjusted for the strength of the opponent. EPA (expected points added) measures how much each play changed the expected score; success rate counts plays that kept the offense on schedule; explosiveness is the average EPA on successful plays. Lower is better on defense. Ranked by EPA per play among teams that were FBS that season.
Drives and havoc
| Points per trip inside the 40 | Average start | Havoc | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | -0.1 | own 29 | 2% allowed |
| Defense | 0.0 | own 32 | 3% caused |
A trip inside the 40 is a drive that reaches the opponent’s 40-yard line; points per trip is how many it scored on average (allowed, on defense). Average start is where drives began (the defense’s line is where its opponents started). Havoc is the share of plays ending in a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, an interception or a pass broken up. From CollegeFootballData.com.
Top recruits in the 2004 class
| Marcel Pestano WR | ★★ | No. 831 |
| Phil Tillman DT | ★★ | No. 831 |
| Andre Broussard WR | ★★ | No. 979 |
| Brandon Mason ATH | ★★ | No. 979 |
| Robbie Agnone PRO | ★★ | No. 979 |
247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.
The 2004 class by position
| Signed | Stars | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterbacks | 1 | 2.0 | 0.767 |
| Running backs | 1 | 2.0 | 0.744 |
| Receivers | 2 | 2.0 | 0.778 |
| Offensive line | 1 | 2.0 | 0.722 |
| Defensive line | 1 | 2.0 | 0.789 |
| Linebackers | 1 | 2.0 | 0.744 |
| Athletes and specialists | 1 | 2.0 | 0.767 |
| Whole class | 8 | 2.0 | 0.761 |
High-school signees by position group, with their average stars and 247Sports composite rating (out of 1), via CollegeFootballData.com. Athletes are signees with no set position.
Drafted in 2005
The 2005 draft| Rd 6 | Rob Petitti OT | Dallas Cowboys |
2004 Big East standings
| Team | Conf. | Overall | AP final |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boston College | 4–2 | 9–3 | 21 |
| West Virginia | 4–2 | 8–4 | |
 Pittsburgh | 4–2 | 8–4 | 25 |
| Syracuse | 4–2 | 6–6 | |
| UConn | 3–3 | 8–4 | |
| Rutgers | 1–5 | 4–7 | |
| Temple | 1–5 | 2–9 |
Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.