It’s not quite “all-white,” but Pitt is breaking out a “fresh and clean” look for a huge game against No. 20 SMU tomorrow night.
Pitt is bringing out the white jerseys for the Mustangs, wearing gold helmets with a blue Cathedral stripe and blue Pitt script, white jerseys with blue numbers and white pants with a blue Cathedral stripe down the leg.
Pitt and SMU are scheduled to kickoff at Gerald J. Ford Stadium Saturday at 8 p.m. on ACC Network.
Pitt is 7-0 for the first time since 1982, one of the two undefeated schools in the ACC, and the Panthers are riding a high that hasn’t been felt since the ACC title-winning season in 2021.
A matchup against No. 20 SMU is officially the first ranked matchup for the Panthers since hosting Tennessee in 2022.
It’s a matchup that drew College GameDay hype (ultimately ending up at Penn State vs. Ohio State in State College, Pa.) and will have conference and national storylines.
“Moving on to the next one in SMU, Rhett Lashlee, won a conference championship a year ago, has stumbled only once this season, so they’ve got a great football team,” Pat Narduzzi said Monday at his weekly presser. “He’s heck of a coach. Happy for him. We’re looking forward to going down to Dallas.”
It’s a big game, the biggest in years. The ACC is still talked about as a three-team race between Miami, Clemson and SMU. ESPN gives Pitt a 2.7% chance to win the conference, behind the three aforementioned teams by a considerable margin.
A win against SMU would go a very long way in establishing Pitt as a legitimate conference (and Playoff) contender. And make the November matchup against Clemson that much bigger.
SMU is a good team, with an offense capable of scoring points in bunches, but the Pitt defense is coming off the best performance of the season. And Mustangs’ quarterback Kevin Jennings threw three interceptions and fumbled the ball four times against Duke, losing two. It’s another big opportunity for the defense.
Pitt, of course, is coming off a 41-13 win against Syracuse Thursday night, improving to 7-0 for the first time since 1982. A win against SMU would improve the Panthers to 8-0 for the first time since 1981.
