Pitt Coach Pat Narduzzi Seeking Respect For 4-1 Panthers

College football voters across the country are giving Pitt the same amount of respect a father gives his daughter's 19-year-old unemployed boyfriend. None. The lack of praise has Pittsburgh Chris Bickell ’97 Head Football Coach Pat Narduzzi channeling his inner Rodney Dangerfield, seeking just a smidge of admiration.

“I still don’t see much respect for a 4-1 football team, which is fine. It’s something I’ll use,” said Narduzzi, per Pittsburgh's Post-Gazette.

Pitt's lone blemish this fall was a loss to Western Michigan sandwiched between a pair of back-to-back wins. Included in those four wins is a Week Two victory over SEC-big boy Tennessee in Knoxville. Not that you'll catch Narduzzi looking in the rearview mirror.

“All the preseason ratings and all that baloney don’t make any difference," Narduzzi told reporters. "No one cares about what you did last couple of weeks. It’s what you do Saturday at 3:30. That’s the focus."

The Panthers haven't found themselves ranked in the Top 25 since last October. So long as the Panthers don't peek ahead to next week's opponent, Clemson, all that can change. A convincing win on Saturday over a Virginia Tech team that spent last weekend going toe-to-toe with Notre Dame would go a long way towards placing Pitt back into the polls.

“Our guys have to take it one game at a time and not focus on the noise on the outside. What you guys are talking about, what the national media is talking about doesn’t matter. Because you’re only as good as your last opportunity on the field.”

Should the Panthers leave Blacksburg with a win, they'll likely gain some of the respect Narduzzi's been seeking. If not, AP voters should head back to school.

Follow along on Twitter: @OhioAF