Best / Worse Case Record for :
Clemson | Georgia Tech | Virginia | Miami | Louisville | Duke | Boston College | Florida State | Virginia Tech | NC State | Syracuse | North Carolina | Wake Forest
Pittsburgh
Sometimes things go exactly as we expect them. We all thought Pat Narduzzi was going to be a solid hire at Pitt. Year 1 did nothing to disprove that as the Panthers went 8-5 and contended late into the season for an ACC Coastal Division crown. Pitt was a handful of plays from being a 10+ win team. Season ticket sales are up, All-American RB James Conner has returned from battling cancer, and there is more talent on this team than you might think. Optimism surrounding Pitt program is as high as we’ve seen in years, but is the schedule too challenging?
Will Go 9-3 (6-2) if:
Pitt can go 2-2 in the four games against Penn State, Oklahoma State, North Carolina and Clemson. If the Panthers can go .500 against those 4 teams, they are good enough to go 7-1 against the rest of their schedule. If James Conner returns to form, the Panthers will have one of the best RB tandems in country. Qadree Ollison is coming off a 1121 yard season, and the offensive line is rock solid. The defense isn’t elite, but should be good enough not to be a liability. Jordan Whitehead is a future All-American safety. The Panthers could be a sneaky very good team.
Will Go 6-6 (3-5) if:
Pittsburgh starts the season 1-3, with a dangerous Marshall team in game 5. After opening with Villanova, Pittsburgh hosts Penn State, then has road games against Oklahoma State and UNC. That’s a brutal start to the schedule, that I’m not sure Pitt is equipped to handle yet. The offense will be physical and tough, but I don’t see it being a quick strike one. I don’t think Pitt can keep up in most games that turn into a shoot out and there are some very good offenses on Pitt’s schedule.
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