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Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt declined Monday to speculate about his future at the school, saying he's focused on Saturday's regular season-ending game at Cincinnati and not on the Panthers' disappointing season.
Pitt was ranked 15th in the AP preseason poll and was a near-unanimous pick in a media poll to win the Big East Conference. But their 35-10 loss at home to rival West Virginia means the Panthers (6-5, 4-2) must beat Cincinnati (4-7, 2-4) to assure themselves of a bowl bid.
Wannstedt is under contract through 2014 after signing a two-year extension in March.
''I'm not concerned with job security right now, we're just trying to beat Cincinnati,'' said Wannstedt, who went on to add several reasons why he should be back. ''We're not going to graduate very many players this year. We have a great future ahead of us. We have a lot of recruits committed and a good, young team coming back next year.''
Wannstedt, asked why the season hasn't been better, blamed multiple injuries to star defensive end Greg Romeus, inexperience and running back Dion Lewis' drop-off.
Romeus, the Big East defensive co-player of the year last season, was limited to two games by back and knee injuries. Lewis has rushed for 695 yards after gaining 1,799 yards as a freshman. Linebacker Dan Mason also was injured.
Wannstedt did not mention coaching or preparation as possible causes for the mediocre season.
''We obviously had higher expectations. I really thought that we felt like we needed to get a big year out of our best defensive player, Greg Romeus, and the way that he trained, we believed that we would get a first-round-draft-pick-type of year out of him. That was a little bit disappointing,'' Wannstedt said. ''Obviously, with Dion Lewis and the expectations there, with all the hype ... I think it was all legitimate. For whatever reason, we just never did get on track with our running game. There were some setbacks there.''
Wannstedt also pointed to several factors that the Panthers largely downplayed before the season began, including a new starting quarterback (Tino Sunseri), two new starting cornerbacks and three new starting offensive linemen. One of those cornerbacks, Antwuan Reed, was called for four pass-interference penalties Nov. 20 at South Florida, then was beaten for a touchdown against West Virginia.
Turnovers also were an issue, including four against West Virginia.
''I look at it, and the whole thing with the development of a new quarterback, the three new linemen and the new tight end and a new wide receiver, I knew it would be difficult,'' Wannstedt said. ''I knew that we had the least amount of starters returning in the conference. I knew we were a young team and that it would be a work in progress. You don't expect to turn the football over; that's the one thing that really disappoints me. For the most part, over last three years, we've always run the ball and protected the football. We might not have been as wide open as we would have liked, but we've always protected the football very well.''
Pitt also was beaten twice at home by margins of 25 points or more, including a 31-3 loss to Miami, which fired coach Randy Shannon after giving him a four-year extension in May.
Late-season losses against Cincinnati the last two seasons prevented the Panthers from winning the Big East, including a 45-44 loss at Heinz Field last year in which they squandered a 21-point lead.
If the Panthers lose, their 6-6 record might keep them out of a bowl if Notre Dame takes one of the Big East's slots. The conference then would have one more bowl-eligible team than it does bowl berths.
