With a gritty 31-14 win in New York Saturday night, Pitt reached the vaunted double-digit regular season wins plateau for the first time since 1981.
The win also helped Pitt secure its place inside the Top 20 in both the AP and USA TODAY Coaches Polls, checking in at No. 17 and No. 15, respectively, to hold the ACC’s top spot in both polls.
Georgia’s (1,550 points, 62 first-place votes) season of absolute dominance, allowing just 83 points in 12 games this season, was capped with a strong win over Georgia Tech, and the Bulldogs remain the consensus No. 1 team in the nation.
Michigan (1,449 points) finally ended the drought against Ohio State with a 42-27 win over the Buckeyes, and the Wolverines jumped all the way up to No. 2. Cincinnati (1,422 points) rose a spot, jumping to No. 3, and Alabama’s (1,388 points) 4OT win over Auburn was too close in voters’ eyes as the Crimson Tide fell to No. 4. Oklahoma State (1,291 points) knocked off Oklahoma in the Bedlam Series to jump to No. 5.
Notre Dame (1,264 points), Ohio State (1,147 points), Ole Miss (1,105 points), Baylor (1,066 points) and Oregon (932 points) rounded out the Top 10.
Pitt (589 points) remains the top-ranked ACC team in the poll, but Wake Forest (485 points) is just a spot behind after walloping Boston College on Saturday.
North Carolina State (310 points) rose a few spots to No. 21 after winning a rivalry game against North Carolina, and Clemson’s (269 points) late-season resurgence has seen the Tigers jump back into the Top 25 at No. 22.
No other ACC team is receiving votes in the AP Poll.
Georgia (1,550 points, 62 first-place votes) is still the consensus top-ranked team in the Coaches Poll, but that’s where the alterations begin there. Alabama (1,440 points), Michigan (1,408 points) and Cincinnati (1,399 points) are ranked 3, 4 and 5, which is a mix-match from the AP Poll.
Notre Dame (1,250 points), Ohio State (1,133 points), Ole Miss (1,097 points), Baylor (1,046 points) and Oregon (932 points) round out an identical Top 10 though.
Pitt (640 points) is slightly higher in the Coaches Poll, checking in at No. 15, while Wake Forest (531 points) is a few spots back at No. 18. North Carolina State (334 points) made the biggest jump of the week, rising from No. 24 to 20. Clemson (170 points) jumped back into the poll at No. 24.
To check out the full AP Poll, click here, and to check out the full Coaches Poll, click here.
Way to go team! The victories were team victories … while there are plenty of heroes, it was the team effort that cemented the capture of the title … go Pitt! Win out and do better (Nat title?) next year!