PITTSBURGH - The season after losing three of its last four games and several key offensive starters - including Heisman trophy runner-up Larry Fitzgerald - University of Pittsburgh coach Walt Harris said the Panthers are reloading as opposed to rebuilding.

Harris is opening his eighth season at Pitt. Despite turning around a downtrodden program - the Panthers were 8-5 last fall with a fourth straight bowl appearance - many fans had higher expectations.

So do the coaches and sports writers who have picked Pitt to finish in the middle of a watered-down Big East Conference this season.

After losing wideout Fitzgerald, quarterback Rod Rutherford, tight end Kris Wilson and running back Brandon Miree to the NFL, and with injuries and academic problems plaguing the team's offensive line, defensive backfield and kicking game, Pitt has more questions than answers. The most pertinent is at quarterback with redshirt sophomores Tyler Palko and Luke Getsy competing for the top spot.

The starter "is going to be the guy that's the easiest for me to call plays for," Harris said during Thursday's press conference. "So, it's the guy that is the most consistent. Sometimes, it's not the guy that gets the ball in the end zone all the time in the scrimmages.

Palko and Getsy, both western Pennsylvania high school stars, have a total of five completions between them. Palko played as a freshman in 2002 and sat out last fall, while Getsy redshirted his opening year and played sparingly last season.

"I was ready to play when I got here, and I'm much more prepared now," Palko said. "I'm looking forward to the competition with Luke, and I can't wait to get out there again after sitting out last season."

"I'm really looking forward to this camp," Getsy said. "I think we can be a lot better than people think we're going to be, and I just hope I can do my part to help this team be successful."

Jawan Walker, who started six games when Miree was injured last year, is in limbo with academic difficulties in the preseason. The same is true for prospective starting cornerback Josh Lay, but Harris declined to elaborate on either situation.

Three freshman recruits also have academic trouble. Hopewell's Craig Bokor is going to a prep school, instead of attending Pitt, while Rashad Jennings from Virginia and Corey Davis from Pittsburgh's Peabody High School are awaiting word from the NCAA Clearinghouse about their status. And Penn Hills grad Troy Banner, who would have been a senior defensive lineman this year, was not asked to come back by Harris.

On the injury front, wideout Terrell Allen (broken hand), place-kicker David Abdul (broken leg) and wideout Princell Brockenbrough (knee surgery) aren't likely to play this year.

Allen will take a redshirt and be back in the spring, but Abdul has not recovered from offseason surgery and his career could be in doubt. The same is true for fifth-year senior Brockenbrough, who had a second knee surgery after last season and had an MRI Thursday to determine his status. He could apply for a sixth season, but that's uncertain.

Pitt will hold training camp at the UPMC Sports Complex until Aug. 28 and then begin preparing for its season-opener against South Florida Sept. 6 at 4:30 p.m. in Tampa.