It could have been the ideal scenario for the Pitt Panthers had they defeated the Cincinnati Bearcats Dec. 5

Instead, they absorbed a heartbreaking 45-44 loss in a game that decided not only the Big East championship but the Bowl Championship Series spot that comes with it.

The Panthers held a 21-point lead late in the first half before the Bearcats battled back to tie the game at 38-all.

A bad hold on an extra point gave the Panthers a tenuous six-point lead late in the game before Cincinnati drove, scored and converted the extra point with 32 seconds left for the victory.

Cincinnati accepted the Sugar Bowl invitation and the $14 million payout that comes with it.

By losing to West Virginia eight days earlier on a last- second field goal, the Panthers fell to third place in the Big East.

The Mountaineers' runner-up finish gave them the Big East's No. 2 spot and a berth to the Gator Bowl on New year's Day.

Pitt, which had surged to No. 8 in the polls before those two losses, dropped to No. 17 and accepted a spot in the Meineke Car Care Bowl Dec. 26 in Charlotte, N.C.

So close but yet so far.

The Panthers looked to finally make their push back into the national spotlight. At 9-1, they were on the cusp of their first 10-win season since 1982.

They reached the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 1, 2005, when they tied for the Big East title at 4-2 but won the tiebreaker over three other teams.

That was the Panthers' first foray into big bowl games since the early 1980s. Of course, in that 2005 game, they lost 35-7 to Utah, coached by Urban Meyer and led by quarterback Alex Smith.

Had Pitt defeated Cincinnati 11 days ago, it would have been the Panthers, not the Bearcats, who were playing Tim Tebow and the University of Florida.

The Panthers wouldn't have stood a chance against the Gators, who have won a pair of national championships since Meyer left Utah and with Tebow, a Heisman Trophy winner two seasons ago, at the helm.

Just as they were against Utah, the Panthers wouldn't have been able to compete. Florida has too much team speed and great line play.

Pitt would have been embarrassed by the Gators.

Do I think the Panthers are making strides under coach Dave Wannstedt? Absolutely. He brings a high level of professionalism and knows what it takes to get players into the NFL.

The Panthers can record their 10th victory with a win over North Carolina in Charlotte, which shows that Pitt continues to progress.

It has a long way to go to become a perennial power with the likes of Texas, Alabama and Southern Cal, but the pieces are starting to come together.

That arrival just might take another year or two to get there.

Sam Tallarico is a staff writer for the Butler Eagle.