Pitt Bowl Projections After Becoming Eligible

PITTSBURGH — The Pitt Panthers are officially bowl eligible after last week's 53-34 win over the NC State Wolfpack.

There are two new bowl games that the Panthers are projected to play in this week. Gone are the days of being projected to play in the Gasparella Bowl, Military Bowl and the Birmingham Bowl seemingly every week.

Nothing against those bowl games, but Pitt's four-game win streak and 6-2 record have deservedly warranted projections to higher-class bowl games this week.

Gator Bowl

On3's Brett McMurphy, Oliver Hodgkinson of the Pro Football Network and Pete Fiutak all projected Pitt to play in this year's TaxSlayer Gator Bowl on Dec. 27.

McMurphy and Fiutak chose the Panthers to face Oklahoma, while Hodgkinson chose Missouri.

This would be Pitt's fourth-ever appearance in the Gator Bowl, and it has been quite some time since the last appearance. The Panthers are 2-1 all-time in the bowl game, with the sole loss coming to No. 4 Georgia Tech 21-14 in 1956. The MVP of the game for Pitt was quarterback Corny Salvaterra.

The two wins came within four years of each other, with Pitt defeating No. 11 Clemson 34-3 in 1977 and No. 18 South Carolina 37-9 in 1980. The MVPs in the wins were quarterbacks Matt Cavanaugh and Rick Trocano.

Oklahoma and Missouri have each had great seasons so far, with both teams being 6-2, but both suffered tough losses last week. Oklahoma lost to No. 8 Ole Miss 34-26 at home and Missouri lost to No. 10 Vanderbilt 17-10 on the road.

Missouri also may have lost Penn State transfer quarterback Beau Pribula for the rest of the season due to a dislocated ankle. The Tigers turned to another Pennsylvania native in true freshman Matt Zoller, who completed 61% of his passes for 138 yards and a touchdown in the loss.

Duke's Mayo Bowl

Wanna potentially see Pat Narduzzi drenched in mayonnaise?

ESPN's Kyle Bonagura and CBS Sports have projected Pitt to play in this year's Duke's Mayo Bowl on Jan. 2, 2026. Bonagura picked the Panthers to face Tennessee and CBS Sports chose Auburn.

Pitt has played in this bowl game twice, when it was under two previous sponsors. The Panthers lost to Virginia 23-16 in the 2003 Continental Tire Bowl and defeated North Carolina 19-17 in the 2009 Meineke Bowl.

These are two interesting projected matchups because Tennessee and Auburn have had very different seasons thus far.

The Volunteers are currently ranked No. 14 in the country and blew out Kentucky 56-34 this past week. Auburn is currently 4-4, and there are questions about whether or not its head coach, Hugh Freeze, will be the head coach by the end of the season. However, the Tigers ended their four-game losing streak with a 34-23 win over Arkansas.

Auburn also has Kentucky, No. 9 Vanderbilt, Mercer and No. 4 Alabama remaining on its schedule, and the Tigers may wind up not even being bowl eligible by the end of the year.

Pinstripe Bowl

ESPN's Mark Sclabach projected Pitt to face Northwestern in the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl on Dec. 27. Pitt has played in this game once before and lost to the Wildcats 31-24 in 2016.

Dec 28, 2016; Bronx, NY, USA; Northwestern Wildcats wide receiver Flynn Nagel (2) is tackled by Pittsburgh Panthers defensive back Reggie Mitchell (15) during the second half of the Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium. Northwestern won, 31-24. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

This has been a popular pick for the Panthers recently. McMurphy and Schlabach projected Pitt to play in this game last week, and The Athletic had Pitt playing Penn State in its midseason bowl projections.

Northwestern is 5-3 so far this season, but its four-game win streak ended with a 28-21 loss to Nebraska last week. The Wildcats will have another challenge this week when they hit the road to face No. 23 USC.

Fenway Bowl

Sports Illustrated's Bryan Fischer has projected Pitt to face USF in the Wasabi Fenway Bowl on Dec. 27.

This has probably been the most popular bowl game pick for Pitt this season. This is also the only bowl game on this list that the Panthers have never played in.

USF is 6-2 this year and is likely projected to face Pitt after losing its leg up on the 12th-seed playoff spot with its 34-31 conference loss to Memphis this last weekend. The American conference has appeared to be the strongest league of the Group of Five this year, and the winner will likely be rewarded with the at-large playoff spot.

The Bulls are now fifth in the conference, and Navy and Tulane are the only undefeated teams in league play.

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