PITTSBURGH — Dave Wannstedt never had it so good. At least until Pitt finally played a game.

Wannstedt, the former Chicago Bears and Miami Dolphins coach, gained across-the-board approval after taking over Pitt's Top 25 program last season. Pitt grads were excited by his "Pitt-is-it" attitude, recruits liked how the former Panthers lineman talked of winning national championships, and his players welcomed his open-door approach and candidness.

The trouble was the on-field product never matched the buildup.

After winning 25 games the previous three seasons under pass-heavy coach Walt Harris, the Panthers began the season nationally ranked but went on to finish 5-6. Opening game opponent Notre Dame quickly exploited Pitt's weaknesses, and a season that began with so much promise was effectively over after the Panthers started 1-4.

The first game reflected how badly Pitt's talent was overassessed: Notre Dame 42, Pittsburgh 21. The final game reflected how far the Panthers must come to again be one of the Big East's top teams: West Virginia 45, Pittsburgh 13.

Now comes Wannstedt Year II, and the big question is whether one of the best recruiting classes in Pitt history can help solve the existing problems in a program where the winning stopped in a hurry.

Wannstedt has brought in nearly 30 new recruits and junior college transfers, and players such as running back-wide receiver Dorin Dickerson, running back Kevin Collier, tight end Nate Byham, defensive back Elijah Fields and defensive lineman McKenzie Mathews may get a chance to play immediately.

"We're going to go into the season playing a lot of guys," Wannstedt said.

And trying to solve a lot of problems, such as:

n The offense has the talented Tyler Palko at quarterback and, after that, a lot of question marks.

Palko looked to be developing into one of the nation's top QBs when he threw for 24 touchdowns, with only seven interceptions, as a sophomore. But he regressed last season and never looked comfortable in a revamped offense, despite having acceptable statistics (17 touchdowns, 9 interceptions).

Palko is again running a West Coast-type offense, just as he did under Harris, but the talent around him does not appear to rival that from several seasons ago. The top running back is 5-foot-7 LaRod Stephens-Howling, who is fast but may lack the size to be a 250-carries-a-season runner.

"Tyler is having a good camp," Wannstedt said. "He's going to have a great year."

What Wannstedt didn't add was this: Palko must have a good year, or else Pitt has no chance.

• The school that likes to be known as Wide Receiver U. — it has had two Biletnikoff award winners since 2000 — has a worrisome lack of receiver depth.

Greg Lee, last season's top receiver, left for the NFL after his junior season but wasn't drafted. That leaves Derek Kinder (37 catches) as the most experienced receiver, with little experienced depth behind him.

• The offensive line returns four starters.

That would be good news for most schools, but the Panthers almost never mounted a reliable running game while being outrushed by an average of 69 yards per game last season. The lack of a solid running game put even more pressure on Palko to succeed, a problem that could return this season.

"Tyler's not talking as much this year," Wannstedt said. "By that, I mean he is more focused on his job. He has been very businesslike and that rubs off on all the players."

• The defensive line badly needs upgrading.

This is where Wannstedt hopes some of the recruits can move in quickly. Pitt never did establish much of a pass rush last season, getting only 22 sacks. The rushing defense (185.2 yards per game allowed) was one of the worst in Division I-A, meaning opponents could stay on the ground and run the clock after getting ahead.