PITTSBURGH — He has several strong recruiting classes on hand, more depth and more speed than in the last two seasons. What Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt hasn't yet enjoyed as he enters his third season at his alma mater is improvement — in the offense, in the defense, in special teams.

Most of all, in the won-lost record.

If Pitt's recent football history is an example, winning may come difficult for Wannstedt, too, in Year No. 3. A season that, based on the expectations and the Top 25 ranking that Pitt enjoyed when Wannstedt arrived in 2005, was supposed to see the Panthers much further advanced than they are now.

Despite being lauded for its last two recruiting classes, Pitt was picked in the preseason media poll to finish only sixth in the eight-team Big East Conference. That forecast is based on the Panthers' most recent records of 5-6 in 2005 and 6-6 last season, their five-game losing streak that ended last season and a rugged road schedule that includes West Virginia, Louisville and Rutgers.

"Yeah, we've heard that," safety Eric Thatcher said of the pessimistic forecast. "It (the schedule) is definitely going to be a test. But I definitely expect us to go back and get ourselves in a bowl game this year."

That was supposed to be a given when Wannstedt took over for Walt Harris two years ago, with the Panthers coming off an 8-4 season and an unexpected trip to the Fiesta Bowl. Despite Wannstedt's success on the college level as an assistant at Miami, Southern Cal and Oklahoma State and his two stops as an NFL head coach at Miami and Chicago, it hasn't all come together yet for him at Pitt.

Nothing new there.

Of Pitt's last four head coaches, only one — Paul Hackett — had a winning season during his first three years on the job. He barely had one, a 6-5 record in 1991. Harris didn't enjoy one until his fourth season; Johnny Majors never had one during his second tour of duty at Pitt from 1993-96.

Why has success been so fleeting to Pitt's new hires? Perhaps it's because the same problems keep recurring.

Namely, Pitt always seems to land some strong recruits, but not enough to keep up with the competition. There's also the perennial lack of sellout crowds, except for a few choice dates in a pro sports town obsessed with the Steelers. A lack of across-the-board talent at the key skill positions on offense and defense.

The last three seasons, for example, Pitt had mostly strong quarterback play from Tyler Palko and a number of quality receivers, but lacked a breakaway running back.

Now, the Panthers appear to have that runner in freshman LeSean McCoy, but they have the rawest of rookie quarterbacks in junior Bill Stull, who will be the starter Sept. 1 against Eastern Michigan.

"I feel I'm absolutely ready to go," said Stull, who had little competition in camp once prize freshman Pat Bostick left camp for a week for personal reasons. "I have tremendous confidence in myself and this team, offense and defense."

Defensively, Pitt has had a terrible time shutting down the run during the second half of the last two seasons, one reason Wannstedt emphasized recruiting defensive linemen and linebackers. Wannstedt even switched his top skill position recruit of last season, Dorin Dickerson, to linebacker.

For the first time since he's been at Pitt, Wannstedt said he has quality linemen two deep at every position.

"We have to run the ball and stop the run," Wannstedt said. "That's the two biggest hurdles we have."

Despite Pitt's lack of success the lack two seasons, it's evident Wannstedt still has strong support among those who hired him, athletic director Jeff Long and chancellor Mark Nordenberg. His players appear to respect him, and the struggles of the last two seasons mostly created cries for patience from top boosters, rather than cries to oust him.

But this is a pivotal season for Wannstedt, and he knows it. Harris' third season was the one that propelled him and the Panthers to a string of five consecutive winning seasons and bowl appearances. But this third season was the one that proved the undoing of Majors his second time around; of Hackett in 1992, of Foge Fazio in 1984.