CINCINNATI -- There was no shame in this loss for Pitt, although it did get pretty ridiculous for much of the second half. Cincinnati is the best team in the Big East Conference. After putting a 28-21 licking on Pitt last night -- the game really wasn't that close -- it will be rewarded with the conference's Bowl Championship Series slot after it takes out Syracuse at home Saturday.

Pitt's immediate future isn't nearly so clear.

Pitt is 7-3 with a home game Friday against West Virginia and a game at Connecticut Dec. 6. Win both and it's a highly successful season, especially after the rotten start against Bowling Green in the opener. The Gator Bowl, perhaps? Win one and it's a step forward for a program that hasn't been to any bowl game since Walt Harris' final season as coach in 2004. But lose both and stagger to the finish line? It almost will feel like a lost season, no matter what insignificant bowl Pitt ends up in.

Happy Thanksgiving week, Dave Wannstedt!

"We've got to turn the page in a hurry to get ready for West Virginia," said Wannstedt, who used the word "disappointing" to describe Pitt's play last night. "As difficult as it is, we've got to move on fast."

The Pitt coach clearly has a stressful six days ahead. He has much to correct before the Mountaineers roll into Heinz Field. For one thing, he must find Pitt's lost running game, gone for two games now. For another -- and this is the biggie -- he must figure a way for his defense to contain West Virginia quarterback Pat White.

Good luck with that.

White probably wishes they would kick off the pig today -- and not just because he ran for 200 yards and three touchdowns and passed for two more scores in West Virginia's 35-21 win at Louisville yesterday. Cincinnati's Tony Pike -- another mobile quarterback -- ate Pitt alive. The Panthers couldn't stop him, running or passing.

"We could not make a play on that quarterback," Wannstedt said. "The kid was incredible tonight. We were chasing him. We just couldn't put him on the ground."

It was clear on Cincinnati's first possession that Pike was going to have a huge game. He helped the Bearcats overcome second-and-14, third-and-10 and third-and-8 situations before throwing a 20-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Marcus Barnett on a third-and-8 play to complete a 16-play, 99-yard odyssey.

It would go that way all night for the overmatched Pitt defense, which had a performance that rivaled the Rutgers game for its worst of the season. Cincinnati's next three touchdown drives went 11 plays 83 yards, six plays 62 yards and nine plays 77 yards.

Talk about a defense that couldn't get off the field.

Pike was terrific. He ended up throwing for 309 yards and three touchdowns. He also had 11- and 10-yard scrambles on Cincinnati's scoring drive early in the third quarter that stretched the Bearcats' lead to 21-7 and, essentially, stuck a fork in Pitt.

And the great White is next?

Wannstedt probably should think about skipping Thanksgiving dinner and working straight through until Friday.

There was no way Pitt's offense was coming back on this night. It looked good early, scoring on its first possession on a 6-yard run by tailback LeSean McCoy for a 7-0 lead. But after that 69-yard drive? Pitt managed just 37 yards on its next six possessions through the third quarter. A 16-yard touchdown run by McCoy in the fourth quarter and a 41-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Bill Stull to tight end Dorin Dickerson with 1:22 left turned out to be merely cosmetic, although they did cause the Cincinnati fans a few nervous moments before they stormed the field to celebrate what should lead to the Bearcats' first trip to a BCS game.

"We went flat for about 2 1/2 quarters," Wannstedt said. "Then in the fourth quarter, all of a sudden, we came alive. But it was too late by then ..."

For the second consecutive game, McCoy and the running game were largely ineffective. It didn't matter against a bad Louisville team -- McCoy was held to 39 yards on 17 carries in Pitt's 41-7 win -- but it was a killer against a good Cincinnati club. Pitt finished with just 35 rushing yards, although that number was somewhat distorted because it included seven sacks of Stull. McCoy had 82 yards on 17 carries but never seemed like much of a threat.

No aspect of Pitt's game was good enough, although the Panthers did block a field goal and a punt.

White probably isn't the only West Virginia player who can't wait for high noon Friday.

It's safe to say the Mountaineers have been waiting since Dec. 1 for that game. Pitt's 13-9 win in Morgantown as a four-touchdown underdog last season stunned the Mountaineers and ruined their national championship hopes.

West Virginia can't get even by winning Friday when so much less is at stake. It's hard to imagine any victory easing that sting.

But know this: How this Pitt season will be remembered still is be determined.

The Mountaineers will have a big say about it and are in position to put a big hurt on the Panthers.

No wonder they can't wait until Friday.