Pitt needed to prove that it deserved to be anywhere near the top 25 this season, and through four weeks, the Panthers are living up to their preseason motto: Prove It.
Pitt is 4-0 for the first time since 2000, going undefeated in non-conference play for the first time in program history, and their spot in college football power rankings continues to rise.
Pitt is just outside the top 25 in the AP and Coaches Polls, and that’s about where the Panthers sit in a couple of recent power rankings. CBS Sports ranks Pitt 25th in its Week 4 power rankings, featuring a substantial jump of 13 spots. The Athletic ranks Pitt 31st in its Week 4 power rankings.
Chip Patterson of CBS Sports offered his thoughts about the Panthers, one of his biggest risers:
“Similar to Indiana, it seems as though Pitt’s move up the rankings has been more steady than a direct result of the Week 4 result, which for the Panthers was absolutely blitzing Youngstown State. This is a Pitt team that is now 4-0 with wins against Cincinnati and West Virginia thanks to a new offense that has thrived under the guidance of quarterback Eli Holstein. ”
Pitt is coming off its most complete performance of the season in a 73-17 win against Youngstown State Saturday at Acrisure Stadium — and it meant a lot to Pat Narduzzi.
“That’s the way we scripted that win today,” Narduzzi said Saturday night. “Talked to our guys just about the attitude we take and making a statement in regards to who we played. We wanted to put the foot to the pedal and show who we are. You look back at 2012 and Paul Chryst’s first year and you think about how far we’ve come as a program. They got beat by that team coming in here in ’12. Then in ’15, my first game, we beat them barely. ’17, we go overtime with them.
“Again, wins are wins, but this third one is the way it was supposed to be. They may have preached all week about, hey, last time we took them to overtime. That was 2017. That was before a Coastal Division championship. I was proud of the way those guys went out there and played.”
Pitt is 4-0 for the first time since 2000, going undefeated in non-conference play for the first time in program history, and the vibes in Pittsburgh are pretty good.
Pitt is off this weekend, but the Panthers return to action in the first game of ACC play against North Carolina on Oct. 5 in Chapel Hill, N.C.
A win will likely catapult the Panthers into the top 25 all across the board.
ESPN ranked Pitt 18th among unbeaten teams. SP+ and FPI rankings: 37th and 33rd SP+ strength of schedule to date: 94th What the Panthers did in Week 4: def. Youngstown State 73-17 Last week’s ranking: 33rd Why they’re ranked here: The saga of the Pitt offense is one of the strangest in recent memory. 2019: 100th in offensive SP+, 21.2 points per game 2021: sixth in offensive SP+, 41.4 PPG 2023: 108th in offensive SP+, 20.2 PPG It’s a full rise-and-fall story arc in a small period of time. But Pat Narduzzi’s additions of former Western Carolina offensive coordinator Kade Bell and Alabama backup quarterback Eli… Read more »
Enjoy the ride as long as we can.
Hail 2 Pitt!
How can Pitt be unbeaten in non conference play for the first time? Didn’t they go undefeated to win national championship?
They weren’t in a conference (Independent) in 1976.