Pitt Earns CFP Spot in Latest Bowl Predictions

PITTSBURGH — Are the Pitt Panthers bound for the College Football Playoff?

This week's bowl projections think so, with one of the five postseason predictions being Pitt playing in the first round of the Playoff. This is by far the best postseason game the Panthers have been predicted to play this season.

The prediction comes after a few key losses in the ACC occurred during Pitt's bye this past weekend. Louisville and Virginia were both upset, and the Panthers moved from being tied for second place to being tied for first in the conference.

College Football Playoff — First Round

ESPN's Mark Schlabach has projected Pitt to face Ole Miss as the No. 11 seed in the College Football Playoff on Dec. 20. This is the first Playoff projection for Pitt in the bowl projections this season. This prediction also bakes in Pitt winning the ACC Championship.

Dec 4, 2021; Charlotte, NC, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers quarterback Kenny Pickett (8) holds up the championship trophy as head coach Pat Narduzzi looks on after winning the ACC championship game at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Schlabach was also one of the four ESPN writers to predict that the Panthers to make the Playoff over the weekend.

This would be Pitt's first-ever appearance in the College Football Playoff. The Panthers would've clinched a spot in the 2021 College Football Playoff had the format included 12 teams at the time.

This game would be played on Ole Miss's campus at Vaught Hemingway Stadium. The losing team in the first round matchup also does not get to play in a traditional bowl game, like the others included in this list, and their season would be over.

The Rebels are currently 9-1 and are the No. 6 team in the country. Their lone loss was a 43-35 road defeat to No. 9 Georgia. Ole Miss is in a favorable position to finish 11-1, with 3-6 Florida and 5-5 Mississippi State left on the schedule.

Ole Miss is also fourth in the SEC and would need some combination of losses from Georgia, Alabama and Texas A&M to sneak into the conference championship. Schlabach's prediction has the Rebels missing the title game and earning the No. 6 seed.

Pinstripe Bowl

Brett McMurphy of On3 and ESPN's Kyle Bonagura predicted that Pitt would make the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl against Minnesota on Dec. 27. McMurphy and Bonagura were the only two to have Pitt in the Pinstripe Bowl in last week's projections.

Iowa and Northwestern were the projected opponents for the Panthers last week, but Minnesota is now the consensus pick after they both suffered ranked losses.

The Golden Gophers had an off week last week and remain 6-3, with a 4-2 record in the Big Ten. Minnesota's last win came in the 23-20 overtime nailbiter over Michigan State.

Pitt played in the Pinstripe Bowl once in 2016, but lost 31-24 to Northwestern.

Holiday Bowl

Sports Illustrated's Bryan Fischer and Pete Fiutak of College Football News have the Panthers playing in this year's Holiday Bowl on Jan. 2, 2026. Fischer chose Pitt to face Utah, and Fiutak chose Washington.

This would be Pitt's first-ever appearance in the Holiday Bowl. The ACC started playing the traditional Pac-12 teams in the bowl game in 2022.

The Utes are 7-2 and blew out No. 17 Cincinnati 45-14 at home two weeks ago. Utah is coming off a bye this week and will hit the road to face 5-4 Baylor.

Washington is 6-3 but just suffered a devastating 13-10 loss to now 3-6 Wisconsin. It was the Badgers' first Big Ten win of the season. The Huskies will look to bounce back when they host 2-8 Purdue this week.

Gator Bowl

Oliver Hodgkinson of the Pro Football News projected Pitt to face Oklahoma in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl on Dec. 27. Pitt has played in the Gator Bowl three times before and is 2-1 all-time.

The Sooners are currently 7-2 and most recently tallied a 33-27 road win over No. 14 Tennessee two weeks ago. Oklahoma had an extra week to prepare for this weekend's road challenge against No. 4 Alabama.

Military Bowl

CBS Sports predicted the Panthers to play in this year's Military Bowl on Dec. 27 against Navy. The Panthers faced Navy in the 2015 Military Bowl, but lost 44-28.

The Midshipmen are fighting for a spot in the College Football Playoff atop the American Conference with a 5-1 league record and a 7-2 overall record. Navy is coming off consecutive losses to North Texas and No. 10 Notre Dame.

Navy has another challenge against 7-2 South Florida this week, which is currently tied for second in the American with a 4-1 record.

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