PITTSBURGH-MIAMI Hurricanes bigger than Big East

Pittsburgh is 0-11-1 all-time against the nation's No. 1 team, including a 43-21 loss last year.
MIAMI (AP) -- There are no Big East championship banners hanging in the Orange Bowl. There are no signs of Miami's seven conference titles in the team's locker room, weight room or meeting room. And there's hardly a mention of them in the media guide.
The Big East title means little to the top-ranked Hurricanes. It's a stepping stone to bigger goals, a means to an end, a bonus that comes with playing for the national championship.
"Just winning the Big East isn't good enough for us," linebacker Howard Clark said. "Obviously it's important -- it gets us to the next level, but just winning the Big East has never been enough. Our real goal is the national championship. I'm not saying the Big East is something shabby, but for this caliber team and what we expect, it's not really important."
Miami (9-0, 4-0) plays host to No. 17 Pittsburgh (8-2, 5-0) tonight, and the winner will have the inside track for the conference title and the league's automatic berth in the Bowl Championship Series.
Panthers hungry
The Panthers haven't won a Big East championship and haven't been in contention for it this late in the season since joining the conference in 1993. They have won 14 of their last 16 games, including nine straight against Big East opponents, and are ranked nationally for the first time in 11 seasons.
A victory against the Hurricanes would guarantee them at least a share of the conference title.
"This is a huge game for us," Pitt defensive end Brian Guzek said. "We know this. We want to win the Big East. We've worked hard to get to this point, so there is no need to panic now or go away from the things that have made us successful to this point."
Miami, meanwhile, has won 31 consecutive games -- including back-to-back Big East titles -- and is ranked No. 1 in the latest BCS standings. The Hurricanes have two more conference games after Pitt, meaning they are three wins away from earning a spot in the Jan. 3 Fiesta Bowl and a shot at another national title.
Nothing more, nothing less.
"We set our goals very high," defensive tackle Matt Walters said. "For most teams, what would be a goal like winning the conference championship is just something on the road to winning the national championship for us. All we really want to do is keep winning and stay on track for the national championship."
Pitt derailed Virginia Tech's national title hopes with a 28-21 win at the then-No. 3 Hokies on Nov. 2. Can the Panthers pull off another huge upset? They are 0-11-1 all time against the nation's No. 1 team, including a 43-21 loss to Miami last season.
But Pitt hasn't had this much at stake since traveling to top-ranked Notre Dame on Oct. 28, 1989. The seventh-ranked Panthers were 5-0-1 and needing a victory to become national title contenders. Instead, they lost 45-7 and have been trying to regain national prominence since.
A win against Miami would end the search.
"This is a new experience for the University of Pittsburgh," coach Walt Harris said. "We have a chance to win a championship and that's been our goal since we got here."