Carter, Giger debate Pickett vs. Clifford, reviving rivalry, Heisman, hoops

This is an exciting time for both the Penn State and Pitt football programs, so we thought we'd have some fun little discussions comparing the two teams (with a little basketball thrown in, as well).

The No. 4 Nittany Lions (5-0) will play at No. 3 Iowa this week in one of the marquee games of the Big Ten season.

Pitt, meanwhile, is off this week after a dominant showing in a 52-21 win at Georgia Tech. The Panthers (4-1) will play at Virginia Tech next week.

Following are our debate topics, with Cory Giger and I each giving our responses. You also can bring up any additional topics in the comments section that we can answer.

Who's the better QB: Kenny Pickett or Sean Clifford?

Carter: If you said Clifford last year, I don't think anyone would raise a fuss. But with the way Pickett has played this season, it's really not close. Pickett's 1,731 passing yards is fourth-most in the country, while his 19 passing touchdowns is second most, and he's the only college quarterback with at least 13 touchdown passes and less than two interceptions. Pitt is the highest-scoring team in the country and Pickett's the catalyst, can't ignore that.

Pickett's also not just hitting wide open receivers, he's making NFL throws into tight passing windows for big plays. According to Pro Football Focus, he also has the most passing touchdowns that have traveled over 10 yards in the air (12) and has the best passer rating (146.9) on all targeted passes that travel over ten yards. Watch this zip of a pass he threw to Lucas Krull in the back of the end zone far enough to beat the cornerback but fast enough to not let the safety react:

And that's a Georgia Tech defense that's given both North Carolina and Clemson fits this season. Pickett's numbers and tape are impossible to ignore, so that's why I feel like at least through five weeks, he's the definitive better quarterback this season.

Giger: Carter is right. Pickett is the better quarterback. I like the way he's played, and if I were going into a game, I'd rather have him as my QB1 over Clifford. However, I don't think it's as cut and dried as Carter makes it out to be.

First, UMass is terrible. So Pickett's numbers there (27-of-37 for 272 and 2 TDs) have to be taken with a grain of salt. And New Hampshire is an FCS team, so the 24-of-28 for 403 yards and 5 TDs in the 77-7 laugher also need to be viewed for what they are because of the competition. Still, he was stellar against Georgia Tech (23-of-36 for 389 and four TDs), so I'll put much more weight on that game than anything else, and his overall numbers this season jump off the page.

Clifford is the quarterback of the No. 4 team in the country. He's a three-time captain. He's a leader. He was Penn State's biggest wild card entering the season, and so far he's one of the biggest reasons why the Lions are ranked in the top five. He completed 28-of-32 for 280 against Auburn, an SEC team. When you can do that against a quality SEC program, people have to take notice. He threw for 401 yards against Villanova, but like with my New Hampshire point above, that's an FCS team.

Clifford is playing with poise, standing strong in the pocket and making good decisions this year, all areas he struggled with in 2020. Penn State hasn't run the ball well, so he has had to do just about everything. For the Lions to beat Iowa this week, Clifford will need a huge game. And if he has one, we may have to come back next week and have this debate again.

Which team is better this season?

This may seem like a silly question to many, since Penn State is ranked No. 4 and Pitt isn't ranked and already has lost to Western Michigan. But the computers used by ESPN's Football Power Index certainly do have an interesting take on things. Following is a screen shot of the current rankings:

Carter: Pitt definitely has the better offense while scoring 52.5 points per game, but its defense is way too susceptible to any offense that has a competent quarterback. Penn State's defense is second best in the Big Ten and isn't handcuffed by a defensive scheme that leaves young and inexperienced cornerbacks and safeties on islands. So many of the lapses for Pitt's defense involve one quick mistake by a player leaving someone wide open and breaking down all the other good things done by the defense on a given play.

If Pitt's defense can create turnovers early, Pitt's offense puts up points fast and that allows Pitt to be more aggressive, as we've seen in their wins over UMass, New Hampshire and Georgia Tech. The Panthers gutted out a good SEC win over Tennessee, but that Western Michigan loss looms large as an element any good team with a decent enough quarterback to run an RPO offense could exploit. 

Giger: Pitt lost to Western Michigan, for crying out loud, and gave up 44 points in doing so. That's an unacceptable loss for Pat Narduzzi, the kind of loss that always seems to happen to the Panthers because they overlook some teams.

Carter says Pitt has the better offense. Maybe, but scoring 77 against New Hampshire and 51 against UMass doesn't really mean anything, so that scoring average figure is irrelevant.

Penn State is clearly the answer here because it has an excellent defense and an offense that is capable of scoring a lot of points. Once this Mike Yurcich system fully gets going, the Lions could take off, just as they did with Joe Moorhead in 2016.

The fact that ESPN's computers have Pitt ahead of Penn State is a joke. I would see the Lions beating Pitt at home, at Heinz Field or on a neutral field.

Which team has a better chance to win a conference championship?

Carter: This is less about the team and more about the conference, but the answer is definitely Pitt. The ACC doesn't have any of the traditional powerhouses firing on all cylinders. Clemson is in a down year, Florida State still stinks, North Carolina and Miami aren't as good as promised, and the top ranked teams are Wake Forest and N.C. State?

There's not a single opponent on Pitt's schedule that I chalk up to be an automatic loss just based on pure talent. I'd even go as far to say that Pitt's biggest opponent moving forward is itself when it comes to making mistakes or failing to make adjustments. But if Pickett keeps lighting up scoreboards, the Panthers have as good a shot as any ACC team to win it all.

Penn State, however, has to go through No. 3 Iowa, No. 7 Ohio State, No. 9 Michigan, and No. 11 Michigan State to win the Big Ten. For those who went to campus in Oakland, that's like if Penn State tried to run up cardiac hill to the Petersen Events Center and if Pitt had to walk down Forbes Avenue.

Giger: Pitt is the clear answer here, because, as Carter said, it's all about which conference these teams play in. Penn State's schedule the rest of the way is brutal, while the Panthers have a much easier path to an ACC title.

I'm picking Penn State to lose to Iowa. That will not end the Lions' Big Ten title hopes. But as of now, I'm also going to pick them to lose at Ohio State later this month. That loss likely will knock PSU out of contention for the Big Ten East and conference championship.

Which player, on either team, is most deserving of Heisman Trophy consideration?

Carter: Easily Pickett. As stated earlier, his numbers are too phenomenal right now too ignore. Plus he's creating other potential award winners on the Panthers' roster. Jordan Addison has the ninth-most receiving yards in the country with 524, and has the most receiving touchdowns in the country with nine. Lucas Krull's five receiving touchdowns are the most by any tight end in college football.

Those are impressive and both could be up for their own awards if their paces continue, but that also means Pickett would also be well up there in quarterback numbers and in a power five conference. I would even argue that Addison would be more qualifying for Heisman Trophy consideration than any player on Penn State's roster this year. Pitt's offense is that explosive.

Giger: Penn State wide receiver Jahan Dotson is the best player on either team. I believe he's the best receiver in the country, and a lot of folks are starting to come around to that way of thinking, as well. Mel Kiper has Dotson as the top receiver and No. 8 on his latest big board for the 2022 NFL draft.

As I stated above, I think Pickett's numbers are inflated because of some bad competition. And even with those numbers, he's still only a fringe Heisman candidate. Now, if the Panthers were to run the table and he's still putting up big numbers, then he will remain a Heisman contender.

Dotson will not win the Heisman. He's really not even much of a contender right now, which is a shame but not a surprise because the quarterbacks are always the contenders. He won't put up the kind of crazy numbers DeVonta Smith did last year in winning the Heisman.

Regardless, Dotson is a tremendous receiver, even if his stats won't equal those of others -- or garner much Heisman attention. But if I could pick one player from either team to start my college football program with, I'd take Dotson.

Would you like to see the football series continued?

Carter: Why not? We need more regional rivalries in college sports and we've let money and conference get in the way of that for too long. Want to compete with the SEC in money and TV numbers? Live off those rivalries. There's no reason Pitt, Penn State and West Virginia shouldn't all be involved in more regular football matchups that both fan bases can get behind.

And for all the "Pitt isn't a rival" anymore talk from Penn State, I remember when Pitt beat Penn State in 2016 how much hate-mail I got from friends, family and strangers about that result. I have family who are alumni for either school and it gets HEATED when these teams play. Yes, Penn State is a much more accomplished football program than Pitt over a significant period of time. But the proximity and the history shouldn't be ignored. 

Anyone that thinks putting schools like these up against each other wouldn't be good for the sport, or the programs, is fooling themselves. Either it's a competitive game that everyone enjoys or one program beats down the other and it's a triumphant day for them. 

And the teams playing each other would sure be better than New Hampshire, UMass, Ball State, or Villanova.

Giger: No. I honestly don't care if these teams play any time soon. It is not and will never be the rivalry that it was in the 1970s and early '80s, and younger generations of fans -- particularly Penn State fans -- don't have a whole lot of interest in renewing the series because they had to go so long between seeing the teams play that they either lost interest or never had any interest in the first place.

Now, don't get me wrong, the four-game series from 2016-19 was fun. Those game weeks were fun. The trash talk was fun. The games themselves were fun and, certainly with Pitt's 2016 victory, very important.

The practical issue is that Penn State plays nine Big Ten games and will only play one good non-conference opponent each season. I'd rather see home-and-home series with the likes of Auburn, West Virginia, maybe a Notre Dame or Alabama or Oklahoma or some other prominent programs.

So, while we can wish for the good story lines of a Pitt-PSU game -- and wonder if Narduzzi will prevent his players from talking to the media all week again -- the reality is Penn State has other priorities.

Which basketball team has a better chance of making the NCAA Tournament this season?

Carter: I mean, can I just say neither? Both programs are reeling from losing several players to the Transfer Portal, and Penn State has a new head coach coming off a scandal in 2020 that sent Pat Chambers packing last year. Both are in a rebuilding period, so would be difficult to expect much from either team.

If I had to pick one, I'd say Pitt simply because Jeff Capel's got a heck of a class coming up this year. William Jeffress, John Hugley IV, Femi Odukale and Noah Collier all look like promising sophomores while the team returns key guards in Ithiel Horton and Nike Sibande who look more settled into their roles from their earlier practices this fall. Pitt's goal this season should be to work for a winning record to build off for 2022-2023.

Pitt also might finally have a frontcourt with Hugley to go with transfer big men Mouhamadou Gueye and Daniel Oladapo. That's been a depleted position since the Jamie Dixon days, and would finally allow Capel to have an actual team that would have role players at each position group to fill out the court. Also, don't sleep on Jamarius Burton being a good boost as a general on the court to help settle the offense and run more orchestrated possessions than what Pitt's been used to with Xavier Johnson in recent years.

But again, expect rebuilding years for both.

Giger: The answer is indeed neither for this year, as Carter pointed out. But if I absolutely had to pick one, I would say Penn State might have a slightly better chance to go dancing.

New coach Micah Shrewsberry has one of the oldest and most experienced teams in the country, bringing back John Harrar, Seth Lundy, Sam Sessoms and Myles Dread, plus some transfers, including standout Jalen Pickett from Siena.

The Lions will be in a whole lot of games. Whether they can win a bunch of those games will be the key, as it always seems to be with Penn State.

The Big Ten is brutal, so winning any game is always a challenge. But these PSU kids compete hard, and with Shrewsberry's track record for success, I believe the Lions will be better than most expect.

Both Penn State and Pitt have been picked to finish near the bottom of their respective conferences, so it could be a long season for both from a win-loss perspective. But hopefully we won't have to wait too long for one or both of these programs to find a way to get back to the NCAA Tournament.