Pitt Bowl Projections After Louisville Loss

One writer did not predict the Pitt Panthers to play in a bowl game this postseason.

Sep 27, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers quarterback Eli Holstein (10) runs the ball against the Louisville Cardinals during the second quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

PITTSBURGH — The Pitt Panthers lost their second consecutive game of the season in the 34-27 loss to Louisville last weekend.

Pitt is now 0-1 in the ACC and 2-2 overall on the season. And with No.18 Florida State, No. 21 Notre Dame, No. 17 Georgia Tech and No. 3 Miami remaining on the schedule, another loss to an unranked opponent could make it difficult for the Panthers to reach six wins and become bowl eligible at the end of the season.

In this week's Pitt bowl predictions, all but one writer has the Panthers in a bowl game this postseason.

The Military Bowl

On3's Brett McMurphy and Sports Illustrated's Bryan Fischer both have Pitt facing Navy in the Go Bowling Military Bowl on Saturday, Dec. 27, in Annapolis, Md. McMurphy predicted Pitt vs. Navy in his bowl projections last week.

The Midshipmen advanced to 4-0 after defeating Rice 21-13. Navy still has the No. 1 rushing offense in the country, averaging 352.3 yards per game and the No. 130 passing offense, averaging 131.5 yards per game. Navy will face1-3 Air Force this week.

The last time Pitt played in the Military Bowl was in 2015, when it lost to the Midshipmen 44-28.

Dec 28, 2015; Annapolis, MD, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers running back Qadree Ollison (37) celebrates with teammates after scoring a touchdown during the third quarter against the Navy Midshipmen at Navy-Marine Corps. Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

The Gasparilla Bowl

ESPN's Mark Schlabach predicted Pitt to face UNLV in the Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl on Friday, Dec. 19, at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla.

ESPN's Kyle Bonagura predicted the Panthers to play in the Military Bowl last week, but did not pick them to play in a bowl game this week.

The Rebels are also 4-0 to start this season, with wins over Idaho State, Sam Houston, UCLA and Miami (Ohio). They are led by Dan Mullen, who was the long-time coach at Mississippi State and Florida before temporarily becoming an analyst at ESPN after the 2021 season.

Pitt has never played in the Gasparilla Bowl. Last year's bowl game saw Florida defeating Tulane 33-8. The last ACC team to win the game was when Georgia Tech defeated UCF 30-17 in 2023.

The Fenway Bowl

CBS Sports predicted the Panthers to face Tulane in this year's Wasabi Fenway Bowl. This is the second consecutive week that CBS Sports predicted Pitt to play Tulane in the Fenway Bowl.

The Green Wave had a bounce-back week with a 31-14 win over Tulsa. They suffered their first loss of the season in a 45-10 game against No. 13 Ole Miss the week prior.

Tulane is 4-1 this season and will have its first bye week this weekend. Its next game is at home against East Carolina.

Pitt has never played in the Fenway Bowl, and the game was established in 2020.

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