PITTSBURGH - Don't tell the Pitt Panthers they're a perfect example of what's wrong with the BCS system.

Consecutive wins over ranked-at-the-time Notre Dame and West Virginia vaulted the Panthers (7-3) to No. 19, and they will get the Big East Conference's automatic BCS bowl bid if they beat South Florida (4-6) in Tampa Saturday.

Three-loss teams with no victories over Top 15 opponents aren't supposed to be in the running for one of the BCS' $14 million to $17 million paydays, especially when quality teams such as No. 6 Texas (10-1) and No. 7 Louisville (9-1) are being left out.

Just don't ask the Panthers to apologize for winning, especially when they're doing so with a lineup that includes just six seniors - a year after they went only 8-5 with a deep, experienced team led by Heisman Trophy runnerup Larry Fitzgerald.

When Pitt was 2-2 and apparently going nowhere, Harris said he felt the Panthers had the makings of being special. But, realistically, he probably didn't think a team that could barely beat Division I-AA Furman or Big East tailender Temple might wind up playing No. 5 Utah in the Fiesta Bowl - currently, the Panthers' most likely bowl matchup.

"I'm one of those guys who feels strongly about what we do, almost to a fault," Harris said Monday. "Our challenge was to get them to believe, and to execute."

Harris also took an apparent shot at those who felt the Panthers failed to recruit well in recent years, saying they are winning with players "nobody knew about or believed in except for our staff."

If nothing else, whatever bowl settles for the Panthers will be getting one of college football's more exciting teams. Sophomore quarterback Tyler Palko has engineered five comeback victories in the fourth quarter or overtime, a remarkable percentage for a player who has started only 10 college games.

An 8-3 regular season would also be the school's best since coach Mike Gottfried's second Pitt team went 8-3 in 1987 before losing to Texas in the Bluebonnet Bowl.

"You live to play in big games, big-money games and we as a team have a chance to do something special. A win puts us at 8-3 - a record (like when the) big guys played here," Palko said, a reference to the early 1980s teams led by Dan Marino.

Palko promised the Panthers won't take their foot off the accelerator against South Florida, which upset Pitt 35-26 on Sept. 8, 2001, for the Bulls' first victory against an established Division I-A program. The upset loss was one of the biggest in Pitt's history, and ranks as perhaps the low mark of Harris' eight seasons at the school.

The Panthers will probably get the Big East's BCS bid over Syracuse (6-5) even if they lose, but neither Harris nor Palko wants to hear of that.

"We need to take care of business. We're not going to hold anything back," Palko said. "This is going to be an intense week. We don't have to rely on anyone else, we don't want to have to wait around to figure it out."

Defensive back Tyrone Gilliard is encouraged because Sunday's practice was normal, with no indication the Panthers are feeling any pressure.

"If things don't go well for a while, we need to relax and believe in ourselves and don't worry about all that other stuff," Harris said. "We just need to play our game."