Pitt won its first 24 games against teams from the Mid-American Conference, mostly in dominating fashion.

But the Panthers are only 2-2 in their past four games against the MAC, which suggests their opener Saturday against Eastern Michigan might be a little trickier than appears on paper. The Eagles haven't been very good recently, but that doesn't mean they're necessarily a pushover, either.

Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt said there are a number of reasons the MAC has gained ground on teams from larger conferences, such as the Big Ten and Big East, but scholarship restrictions have played the biggest role. Larger schools are unable to monopolize the good players as used to be the case.

"Since [the NCAA] has changed academic requirements and since they made a change in what constitutes a junior-college player and since they put restrictions on the number of scholarships you can offer, the other conferences, like the MAC and the WAC, have really benefited," Wannstedt said. "And it is simple why -- there are a lot of good football players out there and they all can't go to Michigan.

"[The MAC] has done a good job of recruiting players and now you see the Ohio Universities, the Miami of Ohios, the Eastern Michigans -- they are all capitalizing on the numbers situation and requirements situation and using it to better themselves."

Wannstedt's point is not new but it does explain why the MAC has become an increasingly tough game for teams from bigger conferences. Last year, Western Michigan upset Virginia, Akron upended North Carolina State and Toledo topped Kansas.

Pitt fell victim to the MAC in 2005 when, in Wannstedt's second game as a head coach, the Panthers lost, 16-10, in overtime to Ohio University. And in '03, Toledo beat the Panthers, 35-31, and sent them reeling to a disappointing season.

Wannstedt said the loss to Ohio had more to do with what the Panthers didn't do than anything the Bobcats did.

"You have to give the MAC credit because they have gotten better, but at the same time, I know that the one loss I've been involved in was tough," Wannstedt said of the Ohio game. "We threw two interceptions for touchdowns and threw one interception in the end zone. If you turn the ball over you are not going to beat anyone. And if we go out there and throw interceptions and turn the ball over in the end zone, we aren't going to beat [Eastern Michigan]. Hopefully, we've figured that out."

Eastern Michigan, which was 1-11 last year, has most of its key players back from a team that lost a number of close games.

Pitt's past two losses to MAC teams came on the road and against teams trying to make a statement. The Panthers, in the top 10 at the time, were the highest ranked team to play against Toledo in the Glass Bowl. And the Ohio game was moved to Friday night for TV, the Bobcats' first nationally televised home game in at least 30 years.

Toledo won because of an extraordinary effort from quarterback Bruce Gradkowski, who completed 49 of 62 attempts for 461 yards and led a 15-play, 83-yard drive for the winning touchdown with 43 seconds left. Pitt went into the Ohio game still reeling from a tough loss at the hands of Notre Dame.

Although Pitt has stumbled in its past two road trips against MAC opponents, the Panthers have written a much different story at home. In their past five home games against the MAC, the Panthers have won by an average score of 38-10. And that might be enough of an edge against Eastern Michigan.