Mel Tucker has been suspended from duty as the Head Coach of the Michigan State Spartans pending an investigation into his alleged actions and harassment. With the mounting chatter about the situation, it seems more and more likely that Tucker will soon find himself seeking a new position elsewhere, and the coaching seat will be vacant.
One of the names in the past couple of weeks that has been coming up as a worthy successor for that title is Pat Narduzzi. The Pitt Panther’s coach has recently been very hot with the success of his program and shares history with the Spartan team on his rise to HC status. Unfortunately, the latest articles have him rapidly dropping in the attractiveness of his coaching for Michigan State fans. As far as the world can see, Pitt seems to be in a skid right now with a shaken quarterback and really poor on-field decision-making. You travel to a game that ESPN and all other news outlets had you favored to win for the second week in a row and fall, we are happy to be the one taking you out of the discussion.
A Season in a Skid
Pitt is 1-2 right now, and trust me, we can relate. The difference is that Pittsburgh is much less forgiving lately in their forums and chatrooms regarding their willingness to accept the decline. There is no grace when you are expected to be in contention for ACC titles and make appearances on the AP Poll. Seemingly, the Spartan program is equally less excited about a head coach that might only be a lateral move at best from their current situation. Anyone tuned into the last two games from the Panthers would see some genuinely uninspiring football against the programs picked to finish last and second-to-last in the Big 12 conference.
The Road Ahead for Pitt Fans
Pat Narduzzi and company have a challenging go of things moving ahead, too. Their next opponent is a scorching and cohesive unit – the (17) North Carolina Tarheels. This season, UNC has been turning heads and is currently favored by almost a touchdown in the contest. The spread might be even higher if it were not being played in Pittsburgh. In the weeks after that, there are some winnable battles like Virginia Tech or Wake Forest– but then the Panthers hit the road to play currently (9) Notre Dame in South Bend and bring the currently ranked (4) Florida State Seminoles to Pittsburgh for a showdown. There are no easy roads for Pitt from here.
So, in a season in a skid, Michigan State reporters and knowledgeable parties are starting to see the bigger picture – and for many of them, that does not include considering Pat Narduzzi for the post anymore. Eat Sh––
Photo Credit: Pittsburgh Sports Now
