Pitt earned itself a bowl appearance way back in October, what feels like a lifetime ago now, but that bowl game is on the horizon now.
There’s just one game remaining in the regular season, a road matchup against Boston College at Memorial Stadium this weekend, and the difference between 7-5 and 8-4 could go a long way in where the Panthers end up playing.
Brett McMurphy of Action Network projects the Panthers to face off against Michigan in the Pinstripe Bowl on Dec. 28 in the Bronx. Action Network has set the Wolverines as an early 3.5-point favorite. Bill Crawford of 247Sports also projects a Pinstripe Bowl appearance, with Minnesota as the opponent.
ESPN projects two different bowl appearances — Kyle Bonagura projects Pitt to the Sun Bowl against Washington on Dec. 31 at 2 p.m. in El Paso, Tx., and Mark Schlabach projects the Panthers to play Tulane in the Fenway Bowl on Dec. 28 at 11 a.m. in Boston, Mass.
Jerry Palm of CBS Sports still projects the Panthers to face off against Washington in the Holiday Bowl on Dec. 27 in San Diego, Cal.
It’s a wide range, and that range will be narrowed down by how Pitt plays this weekend.
Despite four losses in a row, capped off by an embarrassing performance against Louisville over the weekend, Pat Narduzzi is confident that his team will be up for a bowl game at the end of December.
“Hell yeah,” Narduzzi said Monday at his weekly presser. “Better be. I don’t talk about a bowl game. I’m not worried about a bowl game. Four weeks ago we were worried about something more important than that. You’re talking about like a nine-win season, a 10-win season, whatever it may be. So, you’re looking at eight-win seasons, what your goal is, then move on from that.
“Play the cards. Our guys would be excited about a bowl game. But where is it going to be? I’m not worried about that. Like, that’s the last thing on my mind. We want to finish this season, the regular season at least, off with a win.”
Pitt can finish the season strong against Boston College before turning its focus to the bowl game, and there is still the chance for a nine-win season.
Sun Bowl please. I went to the last one. Had a blast. Not that far from my home in Phoenix. An old school road trip.