College Football's Late Night Ramblings: Pitt's Dave Wannstedt Resigns

1. The Pitt Panthers Are Haters of the 'Stache

The big news today is that Dave Wannstedt was forced to resign as head coach at Pittsburgh after greatly underperforming this season at 7-5 in a weak Big East. While I'm sure no one is shocked that this has happened, since Wannstache is maybe one of the most clueless Xs and Os coaches in the business, I'm really not sure what Pitt expects to be.

Wannstedt has been an excellent recruiter and after starting out slow, has led them to three straight bowl games. In fact, he led them to their first double-digit win season last year since 1981. Pitt fans need to face reality that they have been a seven to eight-win team for three decades now, and aren't nearly as relevant as they think. They are the second-best team in their own state, and need to work on building a stadium before pushing winning coaches out the door. Just saying!

2. Things Keep Getting Worse Down in South Beach

Since firing Randy Shannon, the coaching search hasn't exactly gone as fans have expected. Jon Gruden isn't interested in the job and Dan Mullen is reportedly going to sign another contract at Mississippi State.

So with no end to the coaching search in sight, recruits are jumping ship. Three guys have already reversed their commitments from "The U," but none hurt worse than quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, who revealed today that he will open things back up. As Buckeye fans this all makes big news because the staff is trying to land Miami's very own Jabari Gorman. Reportedly OSU, Miami (FL) and Florida are the big three fighting for his services, with OSU and UM being his two favorites.

You have to wonder where he stands in the midst of this coaching chaos, and if Florida is leveraging it to grab a solid in-state talent. The Buckeyes could really use Gorman's services, as an already thin secondary losses a lot of star power in Jermale Hines, Devon Torrence and Chimdi Chekwa at the end of the season. So keep a close eye on Gorman's recruitment.

3. It's Not Been a Fun Year to be a Hawkeye Fan

They started off as a preseason top 10 team, and closed the season with three straight losses and a 7-5 record. Things didn't get any better Tuesday as star receiver Derrell Johnson-Koulianos was arrested on drug charges. Police say investigators found more than $3,000 in cash, marijuana, cocaine and prescription drugs in his house as they executed a search warrant. Needless to say, Ferentz has suspended him from team activities. So...can we go back and give Tressel the 2009 Big Ten Coach of the Year award?

4. If You Need a Reason to Hate Arkansas, Look No Further Than Ryan Mallett

The former Michigan quarterback, apparently still has Maize and Blue in his heart. 

"It's going to be a fun game," Mallett said. "It's two great teams. Obviously, I had the traditional rivalry hatred (at Michigan). I've still got a little Michigan in me from that. I've never really been a big fan (of Ohio State)."

So...we have another Michigan man. Good to know!

5. Sugar Bowl Tickets Become Available Tomorrow at 9:00a.m

The athletic department is making an appeal for fans to buy the tickets through them and not through a third-party vendor. We'll see if that happens.

"'The game presents an interesting challenge for our fans,' Director of Athletics Gene Smith said. 'This is a Tuesday night game in New Orleans and we know that we'll have the support of Buckeye Nation there, but we are really encouraging and hoping that our fans will purchase their tickets through Ohio State. These tickets will be some of the best available in the public sales and will ensure seats in the Ohio State rooting sections in the Superdome.'"

6. Finally, Mike Brewster Has Been Named a Finalist for the Rimington Trophy

The award goes out to the nation's top center, and Brewster joins five other finalist for the award. The winner will be announced on ESPN's college football awards show on Thursday. The last Buckeye to win the award was LeCharles Bentley in 2001.