The Harsh Reality of Pitt's Bowl Game Draw

PITTSBURGH — The Pitt Panthers were selected to face East Carolina in the Go Bowling Military Bowl over the weekend. This game will allow Pitt the opportunity to have a nine-win season for the first time since 2022 and just the fifth time this century.

However, the news of the bowl game has left a portion of Panthers fans disappointed and angry that their team didn't receive a higher-tier bowl game draw.

The blame was spread far and wide, with some being on the NCAA, most being on the ACC and even some on athletic director Allen Greene in online discussion boards. Plus some on a combination of Penn State, Clemson and the Pinstripe Bowl,

How about you write something about Pitt getting screwed once again by the ACC.
— M (@cp4moink) December 7, 2025

One X user asked me to "write something about Pitt getting screwed once again by the ACC." Another said, "No one wanted this. Terrible. And disappointing." A fan even wrote, "Decline the bowl. Nobody gives a sh-- about this garbage game."

No one should be blamed for this outcome besides Pitt. And the response from some of the Pitt faithful has been childish, pretentious, near-sighted and flat-out embarrassing. Who are you to bash the prestige of a bowl game backed by a foundation that supports this nation's service members?

And to the Pitt fans saying to just opt out of the bowl game: You're no better than Notre Dame opting out of its bowl game just because it didn't make the College Football Playoff field.

I understand that this wasn't most Pitt fans' top pick to conclude the 2025 season, especially with the potential of playing Penn State in the Pinstripe Bowl, but have some more humility.

If playing in the Military Bowl isn't up to your standards, then maybe your standards should change because this is a fair bowl matchup for a team with an 8-4 record, no conference championship appearance and one that finished sixth in the ACC after tiebreakers.

No One to Blame Other Than Pitt

This is a not so gentle reminder that Pitt could be in the College Football Playoff right now.

Had the Panthers not allowed 17 unanswered second half points against Louisville or beaten then ranked No. 13 Miami at home in what was the biggest game of the season, they would've clinched a spot in the ACC Championship, giving them the chance to make a playoff berth.

But Pitt lost those two games and both Miami and Notre Dame outscored them 75-22 at home.

Pitt was on a five-game winning streak and the two top 15 teams, who were in the battle for the final spot in the CFP, completely exposed them.

Nov 15, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers quarterback Mason Heintschel (6) and Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback CJ Carr (13) shake hands after their game at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

ACC Bowl Game Selection Process

The ACC does not solely determine which teams play in each bowl game. The most the ACC gets involved is determining the tie-ins.

Those bowl game tie-ins include the Pop-Tarts Bowl, Gator Bowl, Duke's Mayo Bowl, Sun Bowl, Pinstripe Bowl, Holiday Bowl, Fenway Bowl, Military Bowl, Gasparilla Bowl, Birmingham Bowl and First Responder Bowl.

According to the Sun Bowl, one of the ACC tie-ins, those bowl games are then divided into three groups.

The first group of bowl games consists of the Pop-Tarts Bowl, Gator Bowl and the Holiday Bowl. The second group is the Duke's Mayo Bowl, Sun Bowl and Pinstripe Bowl. The third group is the Fenway Bowl, Military Bowl, Gasparilla Bowl and the Birmingham Bowl.

The bowl game matchups are then chosen by each bowl's committee in conjunction with the ACC. In this case, the Military Bowl Foundation, which raises money and awareness for this nation's service members, chose the matchup and collaborated with the ACC.

The teams are selected based on several factors such as geographic proximity, avoiding repeat appearances and matchups and regular season win-loss records.

The only factor the Military Bowl contradicts is avoiding repeat appearances. East Carolina played in the bowl game last year and beat NC State 26-21. And with the Pirates finishing fifth in the American and being the best 8-4 team in the conference, it made sense to repeat.

The Pinstripe Bowl

The root of most Pitt fans' dissatisfaction with the Military Bowl lies in the Pinstripe Bowl. I understand this frustration.

Clemson, which finished with a 7-5 record and 4-4 in the ACC, was picked over Pitt to play in a second-tier game and against a long-time rival of the Panthers in Penn State.

As someone who was born and raised right in between Pittsburgh and State College, and is now a Penn State alumnus covering Pitt, I know what this rivalry means and I've lived through it. But I also understand why the Pinstripe Bowl would want Clemson over Pitt.

Dec 28, 2016; Bronx, NY, USA; Northwestern Wildcats attempts a field goal during the second half of the Pinstripe Bowl against the Pittsburgh Panthers at Yankee Stadium. Northwestern won, 31-24. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Clemson was a hot pick for several ACC bowl tie-ins, according to On3's Brett McMurphy. He reported that the Duke's Mayo Bowl, Pinstripe Bowl and Sun Bowl, which are in that second group of ACC tie-ins, were all targeting Clemson. This makes sense with Clemson's large college football footprint, recent national championship history and making the CFP a season ago.

Both Clemson and Penn State also entered the 2025 season as the AP-ranked No. 4 and No. 2 teams, respectively, and were a popular national championship matchup at the time.

Obviously, it didn't work out that way for either team this season, but it would be very difficult for the Pinstripe Bowl to pass up on an opportunity to have two well-known and recently successful teams with large fanbases in its bowl game, no matter the teams' records.

Also, despite reports that Penn State lobbied not to play Pitt in the Pinstripe Bowl, no concrete evidence came out that this actually happened.

Appreciate the Military Bowl

I have always believed that playing in a bowl game is a privilege and I hate the word "meaningless" being associated with them, especially with a game like the Military Bowl that has been around for nearly 20 years and has strong charity ties.

Although they might not hold a ton of meaning with some fans, I can guarantee that they mean a lot to all the people involved and work hard to set up these games every season.

Publicly shaming and hating on a bowl game simply because you see it as inferior to other games or undeserving for your favorite team is unacceptable.

These games still have meaning and for Pitt, it could mean having one of the most successful seasons of this millennium with a win.

Pitt has had just nine wins in a season twice under head coach Pat Narduzzi, with nine wins in 2022 that ended in an incredible Sun Bowl win and 11 wins in 2021, which saw them win their sole ACC Championship.

Sun Bowl Pitt Panthers — Dec 30, 2022; El Paso, Texas, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers running back Rodney Hammond (6) and punter-kicker Ben Sauls (90) celebrate after defeating the UCLA Bruins, 37-35, in the 2022 Sun Bowl at the Sun Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Ivan Pierre Aguirre-Imagn Images | Ivan Pierre Aguirre-Imagn Images

The Panthers have also only had nine wins in three other seasons since 1983, coming in 2009 with 10 wins and then nine wins in 2008 and 2002.

Also, it's another opportunity to see star freshman quarterback Mason Heintschel play for the Panthers and maybe the last time, "The Sharks", featuring star linebackers in Kyle Louis, Rasheem Biles and Braylan Lovelace, all play together.

Annapolis is a little over four hours by driving from Pittsburgh, making it a close game for fans to go see.

I say you should not only watch this game, but you should enjoy seeing the Panthers play one more time before they do so again in eight months for the 2026 season.

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