Pitt Can Strive To Be Better

PITTSBURGH -- Millions of Americans tuned in to watch the greatest Cinderella story in the history of College Football, as Indiana hoisted the National Championship Trophy with a history as one of the worst programs in the sport.

Before Indiana's victory, it seemed that the possibility of winning a national championship was only available to the top 25 or so teams over the past decade, the Ohio State and Alabamas of the world.

Indiana destroyed that notion, giving hope to teams that currently land in the firmly above-average, but not incredible tier. Pitt falls within that group, and the win certainly should give them some hope they can do the same, especially compared to some of their peers at that level.

Pitt's positioning within the college football landscape presents multiple positives that the team has simply not taken advantage of to this point. Firstly, they find themselves positioned well geographically, with recruiting hotbeds in Ohio, Western Pennsylvania and the DC area all nearby.

They have done well to recruit these areas, finding players like Mason Heintschel from Ohio and Jordan Addison from near DC, but they can certainly improve. In DC for example, they are out-recruited by Penn State, neither school being the closest Power 4 school to the area.

The team benefits from using the same facilities as the Steelers. Pitt athletes enjoy the shared usage, and it does help with recruiting. The team may lean on it too much, but if the program utilized the shared aspect more efficiently they could find themselves better off.

Money Talks

The biggest change the team could make, however, involves financials. Indiana, despite their weak history, boasted a $21 million budget for players.

On one hand, it seems unrealistic that the Pitt athletic department could raise nearly that much money. The alumni base is among the most apathetic in power conference football, as seen by meager donations and low attendance percentages.

On the other hand, Pitt is so far down on the list of NIL investment into football compared to their peers that it seems that Pitt can really only go up from here in terms of their investment, and therefore payoff in the long run. If Pitt can get 7 to 9 wins with their low NIL budget, then any sort of investment would likely make them better.

As they land just outside that upper group of teams, a moderate NIL investment could be program changing. Pitt has no shortage of wealthy alumni, but the challenge is getting them to care about football, which they do not at this point.

Pitt Is A Dormant Power

Finally, the culture and history for Pitt play into their positives. With 9 national championships and fourth-best ten Pro Football Hall of Famers, with two more on the way, Pitt is a "sleeping giant" in the landscape of college football.

Head coach Pat Narduzzi has gotten players to buy into the team's culture in good and bad seasons, and Pitt has developed perceived "low quality" college talent into NFL starters better than most.

Dec 27, 2025; Annapolis, MD, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers head coach Pat Narduzzi reacts during the first half of the Military Bowl against the East Carolina Pirates at Navy-Marine Corps Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Pitt currently positions themselves competitively as a team that can take care of business against bad teams and cannot compete against the best of the best. But it does not have to be that way.

Most of the teams in the same level as Pitt do not have these advantages, like West Virginia, Arizona, Illinois or Louisville. Pitt has a great opportunity on their hands, they just have to care, which is easier said than done.

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