Pittsburgh Media’s Predictions for Pitt Football in 2022

Winning the 2021 ACC Football Championship changed the expectations for the Pitt Panther program.

In the past, a good season consisted of winning eight games and earning a bid to a mid-level bowl game.

That’s no longer the case as we start the 2022 season.

Right or wrong, the stakes have risen for Pitt and people are expecting–and predicting big things this coming season.

Pittsburgh Sports Now reached out to a number of local media members to get win total prediction along with any other comments that have leading into tonight’s Backyard Brawl against West Virginia.

As you can see, predictions of a seven or eight-win total is a thing of the past.

Chris Carter, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
11-2: “Pitt has a strong roster with depth on both sides of the ball. They won’t make it through the ACC schedule unscathed, as I see them stumbling against Virginia. But they’ll do enough to make it to the ACC championship game again. If they face Clemson there, I like that matchup for the Panthers. Then it will just be about who they get matched up with in the postseason. But this should be a huge year for Pat Narduzzi to show where his program can go.”

Chris Peak, Pantherlair (Rivals): 10-2

Chris Mack, 93.7 FM “The Fan”
10-2: “Losses to Tennessee and Miami, then a loss to NC State in the ACC Championship game.”

Bob Pompeani, KDKA-TV Sports
10-2: “It will be another VERY good season for Pitt. They will win the Coastal Division. I think they will have two losses (Miami and one of the non-conference games). They will end up losing to Clemson in the ACC Championship game in a very, tough game.”

Harry Psaros, Pittsburgh Sports Now
9-3: “Pitt has a deep, talented roster but several of the away games bother me (North Carolina and Miami in particular). If I knew for sure, Slovis was the next coming of Kenny Pickett, I would say 10-2. H2P?”

Paul Zeise, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette/93.7 FM “The Fan”
12-2: “The Panthers will go 11-1 and win the Coastal, lose to Clemson in the ACC title game and then go and win the Orange Bowl (Clemson will be in the playoff, which is the Peach Bowl this year).

Andrew Stockey, WTAE-TV
8-4: “”The start of the season will be the toughest Pitt has had in years and will let us know very early whether these Panthers can take the next step following the foundation laid by the 2021 ACC Champions. Excited to see if the Panthers can bring the offensive balance Pat Narduzzi has been preaching all off-season”.

Mike Farrell, MikeFarrellSports.com: 8-4

Joe Starkey, 93.7 FM “The Fan”
12-0: “Pitt goes 12-0 behind Heisman candidate Kedon Slovis then loses in 7 overtimes to NC State in the ACC Championship game with Russell Wilson in attendance.”

Josh Taylor, KDKA-TV Sports
10-2: “Another Coastal Division title and a loss to Clemson in the ACC Championship game.”

Chris Mueller, 93.7 FM “The Fan”
11-1: “They’ll lose to Miami and then lose a thriller to Clemson in the ACC Championship game.”

Rich Walsh, KDKA-TV Sports
9-3: “Expectations are high for the Panthers. This team is built to win more games, but I’m worried the offense will get off to a slow start considering they have a new coordinator and new quarterback. I think they will have troubles with a couple of usual suspects like North Carolina and Miami.

George Michalowski, Pittsburgh Sports Now / The Portal Report
10-2: “Losses at Miami and North Carolina.”

Jeff Hathhorn, 93.7 FM “The Fan”
10-2: “The Panthers are the deepest they’ve been in over a decade. They will have the edge in the trenches in most matchups and I expect them to keep rolling. Finishing with four of the last five on the road will be a challenge.

Tim Benz, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Columnist
9-3: “Pitt will win the ACC Coastal Division.”

Alan Saunders, Pittsburgh Sports Now / Steelers Now
9-3: Alan with his thoughts on the season for Pitt:

Saunders: Pitt Faces New Type of Challenge, New Definition of Success in 2022