Pitt May Have New Path to ACC Championship

The Pitt Panthers may have another opportunity for an ACC title.
Sep 21, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers wide receiver Kenny Johnson (2) celebrates with teammates after scoring a touchdown against the Youngstown State Penguins during the second quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Sep 21, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers wide receiver Kenny Johnson (2) celebrates with teammates after scoring a touchdown against the Youngstown State Penguins during the second quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
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PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers and the rest of the ACC may have a different form of qualification for the conference championship.

ACC comissioner Jim Phillips said that the conference is having conversations with athletic directors and head coachs on potentially changing to the ACC title game, according to a report from Andrea Adelson of ESPN.

The current system puts the two best teams out 17 in the ACC Championship. This put SMU, who won the regular season title with a perfect 8-0 conference record, up against Clemson, who had a 7-1 conference record.

Clemson defeated SMU in the ACC Championship, which made it a more difficult day for SMU, as they waited for the College Football Playoff reveal.

SMU still made the College Football Playoff, but that loss almost knocked them out of the new, 12-team system that decides the National Champion.

Phillips is considering giving the regular season ACC champion a bye in the conference title game, allowing the No. 2 and No. 3 best records a chance to earn a spot in the College Football Playoff.

One other scenario has the top four teams playing each other the final weekend of the regular season, with No. 1 facing No. 4 and No. 2 battling No. 3. The winners of these matchups would then play in the ACC Championship Game.

Phillips has dealt with an unfavorable perception of the ACC in many sports, but especially football, with national media fawning over the SEC, Big Ten and generally the Big 12 more than them.

These two different paths for the ACC Championship would obviously serve as a benefit for teams trying to make it into the College Football Playoff.

Pitt has made two ACC Championship Game appearances. The first came in 2018, as they suffered a blowout, 42-10 loss to Clemson where quarterback Kenny Pickett completed just four of his 16 passes for eight yards in a rain-soaked night.

They would make it back in 2021, where they ended up with a 45-24 win over Wake Forest, their first ACC Championship victory.

Pitt earned a berth in the conference title game by winning the Coastal Division Title, but the ACC got rid of the divisions starting in 2023, relying on the top two ACC records for the teams playing in the Championship game.

The Panthers started 7-0 last season, their best start since 1982. This included a 3-0 start in ACC play and a spot in the initial College Football Playoff rankings at No. 18.

Pitt finished the season 7-6, losing their final six contests, including the GameAbove Sports Bowl in Detroit to Toledo, 48-46 in overtime.

The Panthers may have a chance in 2025 and forward, by taking advantage of these potentialy changes to the ACC Championship game, but they'll need to play much better in the ACC.

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Dominic Campbell
DOMINIC CAMPBELL

Follow Dominic Campbell on Twitter.