Fellow Pitt Fans: Stop Letting The Rankings Ruin Your Sunday

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Photo obtained from PittsburghPanthers.com

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The college football Coach's Poll and Associated Press Poll came out yesterday and, as always, Pitt fans were unhappy about it.  The Panthers have fallen out of the Coach's Poll and fell one spot to No. 24 in the Associated Press Poll.  Even after a three-score victory with Pitt playing their third string quarterback.

To that I say: who cares?  Honestly, who cares about the rankings at this point in the season.  

Pitt did beat their rivals in an emotional victory to open the season.  However, West Virginia now looks like their lone victory they'll get all season is the one they had this week against Towson.  Give me an hour and I won't find Towson on a map.    

Also, Pitt did lose to Tennessee.  Albeit we had a hobbled backup quarterback in, and took the Volunteers to OT, but we lost at home.  In Pitt's one game against a respectable opponent so far this season, they lost.  

But again, at this point in the season who cares about the rankings?  Since the inception of the College Football Playoffs, the Associated Press rankings and the Coach's Poll don't matter once the playoff committee comes out with their rankings anyway.  

Additionally, it is still far too early in the season to worry about such trivial matters.  Winning cures everything.  If Pitt goes on to win their next nine regular season games, trust me, they'll be highly ranked.  If the Panthers win the ACC Championship again, especially if it's to complete a 10-game winning streak, they will be highly ranked.  If they don't, then who cares what their ranking was coming out of Week 3 anyway, even they were ranked No. 1 right now.

There are differing goals for different programs in college football.  It is what makes college football different than any other sport.  There is an exponentially smaller percentage of teams that make the playoffs in college football relative to all that are eligible.  The goal for each and every program in college football cannot be the playoffs, like most major sports.  

This season, yes, there was a chance.  Had Pitt went undefeated, they would have made the playoffs.  However, now with their loss against Tennessee, it's probably not happening.  The goal for the Panthers is back-to-back ACC Championships.  Let the rankings play out from there.   

If Pitt wins their next nine regular season games, and then wins the ACC Championship, then care about the rankings.  Argue that had Kedon Slovis not been injured for the 2nd half of the Tennessee game that Pitt would have won by 10 points.  

However, if Pitt does win their next 10 games, then they will be in that conversation anyway, regardless of the rankings that came out yesterday.  Pitt could be unranked right now, receiving no votes, and if they finish the season on a 10-game run, with wins against Miami and Clemson, plus their only loss coming against a solid SEC squad, they will be in the playoff conversation regardless of whatever the rankings are coming out of Week 3.  

If Pitt doesn't win their next 10 games (including the ACC Championship) then the rankings don't matter anyway.  They truly only matter for the Top 4 teams.  So at this point in the season, stop letting it ruin your Sunday.  There were plenty of other reasons the Pittsburgh Steelers ruined your Sunday so don't add on to that.  

Pitt will either be in the conversation for the playoffs at the end of the season or they won't.  But falling to 24th after just three games bares no consequence on this conversation.  Let it go and enjoy your week.  Or don't.  Who am I to tell you how to feel.