Pitt has a big opportunity in its ACC-Big 12 crossover matchup, and the Panthers will look to channel a clean, white jersey look into a clean performance.
Pitt will break out a classic uniform combination against Cincinnati, wearing gold helmets with a blue Cathedral stripe and blue Pitt script, white jerseys with gold numbers and gold pants with a blue Cathedral stripe down the leg.
Pitt and Cincinnati are scheduled to kick off at noon on Saturday at Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati. For those not in attendance, the game will be broadcast on ESPN2.
Pitt is a 2-point underdog against Cincinnati, according to Circa Sports. The total point spread has been set at 54.5 points.
Pitt is coming off a 55-24 season-opening win against Kent State, and with a strong debut, Eli Holstein has cemented himself as the starting quarterback entering Week 2 against Cincinnati. He ran the new up-tempo offense effectively, leading the Panthers to their most points since 2021. But there’s still work to be done.
The same can be said about a defensive performance that left Narduzzi wanting more — even with two forced turnovers, five sacks and 12 tackles for loss.
Pitt and Cincinnati have played 13 times over the last 102 years, with the Bearcats having a chance to stretch a three-game win streak into four — with no current plans for a future matchup.
Pitt won the first seven meetings, including a debut 21-14 win in Pittsburgh in 1921, from 1921 until 2007. But Cincinnati took four of the next five from 2008-12. The River City Rivalry resumed last season at Acrisure Stadium.
The rivalry is based on the fact that the two schools are similar in size, both along the Ohio River (hence the rivalry name) and that the professional sports teams in each city are already rivals. The Cincinnati Reds and Pittsburgh Pirates have had some great games against each other in baseball and the Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers have a hatred for each other on the gridiron only seen in the AFC North division.
This rivalry game has ties to Panthers head coach Pat Narduzzi, who served as the Bearcats defensive coordinator from 2004-06. Linebackers coach Ryan Manalac also played linebacker for Cincinnati in college and again for the Bengals in the NFL.
Cincinnati is coming off a 38-20 season-opening win against Towson, and like Pitt, the Bearcats are looking to bounce back from a 3-9 season in 2023.
All we have and all we can hope for this season Is for our beloved Panthers to defeat Cincinnati tomorrow. H2P
Why is Pitt so basic with their color combinations? They have so many more options they could use. Why not white jersey with white pants. I don’t think I’ve seen that combo since Deon Lewis was scorching UC. Their color combos are boring and they have great school colors which makes it worse.