2009 record: 10-3, 7-2 (2nd-tie in Big East)
2009 bowl: Beat North Carolina 19-17 in Meineke Car Care
2009 final AP/coaches' ranking: 15/15
Coach: Dave Wannstedt 35-26 (6th year)
Offensive coordinator: Frank Cignetti, Jr. (2nd year)
Defensive coordinator: Phil Bennett (3rd year)
Returning offensive starters: 5
Returning defensive starters: 6
Location: Pittsburgh
Stadium: Heinz Field (grass; 65,050 capacity)
Last league title: 2004 (tie)
2010 schedule: [view]
2010 roster: [view]
2009 statistics: [view]

Offensive: Dion Lewis (1,799 yards, 17 touchdowns) was one of the best freshman running backs in recent history. Now he will be one of the nation’s best. Lewis is clearly the man to watch in Pittsburgh’s offense. It won’t be a one-man show. Sophomore quarterback Tino Sunseri has just 17 career pass attempts, but he will benefit from a pair of tall, physical receivers. Junior Jonathan Baldwin is a marvelous talent — 6-foot-5 with a 42-inch vertical jump, along with 4.38 speed in the 40-yard dash. The other starter, sophomore Mike Shanahan, also is 6-5. There are three new starters on the offensive line, but no question marks at tackle, where senior Jason Pinkston and junior Lucas Nix comprise the Big East’s best bookend tandem. 

Defensive: Pittsburgh has developed enviable depth on the defensive line, giving it the ability to mix and match players, while staying strong throughout the season. The Panthers will again be formidable up front, led by senior Greg Romeus, an NFL-ready prospect who had eight sacks and 11.5 tackles for a loss last season, and senior Jabaal Sheard. Two starting linebackers return, but new middle linebacker Dan Mason, a sophomore, has the best potential of all. The Panthers return both safeties, sophomore Jarred Holley and senior Dom DeCicco.

Specialists: Senior Dan Hutchins did nice work last season (making 23 of 29 field-goal attempts as a place-kicker and averaging 41.1 yards as a punter). Sophomore Cameron Saddler averaged 25.3 yards on kickoff returns.

Coaching: For Dave Wannstedt, the building process has been methodical and often frustrating. But he appears to have Pittsburgh back on the right track. After a few seasons of standout recruiting, the talent level of the program is the highest in at least a decade.

Heisman hopefuls: Lewis might be Pittsburgh’s most dynamic back since Tony Dorsett. He’s certainly on this season’s short list and could be positioning himself nicely for 2011.

Game of the year Oct. 9 at Notre Dame It’s always a big moment to win at South Bend. But this season’s game carries a strange twinge of vengeance. After all, when Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly was at Cincy last season, the Bearcats staged an impossible rally to defeat Pittsburgh 45-44 and deny the Panthers a BCS bowl bid.

Overview: Pittsburgh is due to break the door down in the Big East Conference — after twice losing late-season games against Cincinnati that cost the Panthers their shot. The Panthers can ride Lewis and a rugged defense to their first BCS bid since the 2005 Fiesta Bowl.

Next up: No. 15 North Carolina