Pitt's big day

Tomorrow at 2pm (eastern, 11am for those of you, like me, stuck in the pacific time zone), two epic battles lined up for Pitt:

- On the gridiron, the Panthers try to end the year with a 10th win by beating Oregon State in the Sun Bowl. By all measures, it looks like this will be a very competitive game and it is hard to see who should win. The Beavers are missing their top RB but they are battle tested (evidence #1 -- defeating USC). For Pitt, going 10-3 would really lay a nice foundation for next year, especially if Leshan Mccoy decides to return to school.

- On the hard court, Pitt will take its #3 national ranking (and #1 in the RPI for the 1st time ever) into New Jersey for their 1st conference game of the year against Rutgers. This should be a game that Pitt wins. Hopefully they are not overlooking this game and looking towards their tilt this weekend against Georgetown. Could be the start of a magical year for Pitt or could be the start of a major letdown. Here's hoping for the former.

Of course, the last Sunday of the year also brought my favorite annual sports column: Gene Collier's awarding of the "Trite Trophy": http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08363/938077-66.stm