Pittsburgh Coach Pat Narduzzi Takes Aim at Big Ten With ACC Comparison

Pat Narduzzi took a shot at the strength of the Big Ten in the midst of an interview at ACC Media Days.

Pittsburgh Panthers head coach Pat Narduzzi erupts after an interception during the second half against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Milan Puskar Stadium in Morgantown, WV on September 16, 2023. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The Big Ten's three-peat of national championship victories with three different member programs has many across the conference believing it's the best in college football.

However, not everyone across the college football landscape is convinced the Big Ten is the best conference. Pittsburgh head coach Pat Narduzzi stated the ACC is a stronger conference than the Big Ten during ACC Media Days.

Who is Pat Narduzzi?

Narduzzi enters his 12th season as the head coach at Pittsburgh in 2026. He is the third-longest tenured head coach in the ACC, sitting behind only Dabo Swinney at Clemson (19 years) and Dave Doeren at NC State (14 years).

His overall record with the Panthers is 80-61, and Narduzzi ended eight of his prior 11 seasons with a winning record. The most notable feat of Narduzzi's tenure at Pittsburgh is his victory over Wake Forest in the 2021 ACC Championship game.

Narduzzi's last stop in his journey to becoming a college head coach was an eight-year stint as Mark Dantonio's defensive coordinator at Michigan State. The Spartans reached historic heights in those seasons, winning 11 or more games in 2010, 2011, 2013 and 2014.

Why does Narduzzi believe the ACC is stronger than the Big Ten?

Narduzzi discussed his stance on the strength of the ACC in an interview with 680 the Fan in Atlanta, Georgia. He pointed to both the talent along the coast and the league's overall record against the Big Ten to corroborate his argument.

"After about two years in the league, I said, 'This conference is better,'" Narduzzi said. "It's better than the Big Ten; it's got more skill. I've said that for years, and I'm going to stick to my guns. You look at our record in bowl games in the SEC and the Big Ten, you look at our record in the regular season, we don't have a losing record, we have a winning record against those teams."

What is Narduzzi's record against the Big Ten?

Pitt celebrates their 37-35 win in the 89th Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl against UCLA, Friday, Dec. 30, 2022, at the Sun Bowl Stadium in El Paso, Texas. Ucla V Pitt Sun Bowl | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Despite everything Narduzzi said, the Panthers are a combined 2-6 against current members of the Big Ten under his leadership.

The first of those two wins was a 42-39 shootout over Penn State in 2016, just over a month before the Nittany Lions stunned Ohio State in Beaver Stadium and powered their way to a Big Ten Championship victory. Penn State won games against Pittsburgh in each of the next three seasons, only one of which was played within a score.

The other victory was a 37-35 survival in the 2022 Sun Bowl against Chip Kelly's penultimate UCLA team. The Bruins were Pac-12 members at that point, but they announced their intent to join the Big Ten that summer.