It wasn't so much an epiphany as it was a reminder of what once was and what the man hopes will be again.

"I'm at the Hall of Fame Saturday as Troy Aikman's guest," Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt was saying yesterday, not dropping names but trying to make a point.

"After the ceremony, Danny [Marino] comes out. Then, Tony [Dorsett]. We're all standing there. [Mike] Ditka isn't there at the moment, but he's around and I'm thinking, 'This is unbelievable. We've got three guys from Pitt right here who are household names.' It was an emotional time for me. I can't wait to re-establish that great tradition of Pitt football."

Sept. 2 wouldn't be too soon to start.

The opener against Virginia at Heinz Field.

Pitt badly needs to win it.

Wannstedt needs it.

It's almost unreal how the perception of Wannstedt and the Pitt program has changed so drastically in a year. Last August, people around here were fired up about Pitt football. Wannstedt was seen as the right guy at the right time, the perfect coach to pick Pitt up and carry it to greater heights after Walt Harris had taken it as far as he could. Wannstedt had come in eight months earlier and done everything right. He was a Pittsburgh guy -- a Pitt man, to be more specific -- and came with a long NFL resume. His energy and enthusiasm were contagious. He mended fences with the local coaches and recruits. He reached out to alumni and fans. He recruited aggressively. And -- get this -- he talked openly about competing for a national championship.

How sweet that sounded.

Pitt, coming off a Bowl Championship Series game in the Fiesta Bowl, was No. 23 in the preseason rankings.

Amazingly, a 12-0 record -- OK, 11-1 -- didn't seem out of the question.

Then the seemingly impossible happened.

Pitt lost its opener to Notre Dame at Heinz Field, 42-21, in front of 66,451 throbbing-at-the-start fans, many of whom couldn't believe their eyes.

"Never has so little been delivered by a Pitt team that was supposed to deliver so much," I remember writing.

That thud you heard was the sound of countless thousands jumping off the Wannstedt bandwagon.

It got worse when Pitt lost to Ohio, Nebraska and Rutgers to fall to 1-4, worse still when it was blown out in the final game at West Virginia, 45-13, to finish 5-6 and miss a bowl trip for the first time in six seasons.

The honeymoon period for Wannstedt officially was over.

Now the man isn't seen as a savior by nearly so many. If you had a dime for each time someone said, "They should have never let Harris go," you'd be a wealthy person.

There also are minimal expectations for the Pitt team this season. There isn't nearly the same anticipation for the Virginia game that there was for Notre Dame. Some have predicted 3-9 or 4-8 for the Panthers.

Shame on 'em.

Shame on those who have given up on Wannstedt after just one season, disappointing and embarrassing as it was.

Shame on those who have lowered the bar so drastically for this Pitt team.

I was among the many who applauded the loudest for Wannstedt's hiring and I'm not going to change that opinion so soon. The man can recruit the players it takes for Pitt to be a big winner. When the Panthers take the field for their first training camp practice this morning, he'll trot out what he calls "maybe the best recruiting class they've had here in 30 years."

But that doesn't mean Wannstedt and Pitt get a free pass this season. There's no reason we should have to endure another abominable season. Pitt has enough quality players, starting with cornerback Darrelle Revis, quarterback Tyler Palko and linebacker H.B. Blades. Sure, it has issues on both lines and maybe in the offensive backfield and at wide receiver. But what team in the Big East Conference doesn't have issues? Other than West Virginia? The Big East still is largely lame after West Virginia and maybe Louisville. Why can't Pitt win seven or eight games, finish third in the league and go to a bowl game? Why shouldn't it?

Wannstedt promised to simplify his game plans, which might have been fine for the Miami Dolphins but were too much for the Panthers to grasp or, at least, master. "You've got to make sure your players can do something very good rather than a lot very average."

But other than that?

Expect few strategic changes.

Wannstedt said he was motivated by the success of the team next door at Pitt's South Side training headquarters.

"The Steelers reinforced what I've been saying all along about running the ball and stopping the run. We didn't get it done last season. But we're going to get it done."

Again, Sept. 2 would be a great night to start.

The Virginia game is a winnable game for Pitt, especially at home.

It's funny.

You say it's not as significant as the Notre Dame game last season?

I say, in a lot of ways, it's more significant.