Pitt Gets Two New Bowl Game Projections Days Before Announcement

Some new projections have the Pitt Panthers heading west during bowl season.

PITTSBURGH -- The consensus that the Pitt Panthers are destined for the Pinstripe Bowl has broken this week, as the team sits idly, awaiting their bowl game assignment. 

Two new bowl projections are in for the Panthers and they have them heading west instead of east. They'd be long road trips but might give them a more appetizing matchup than the Pinstripe is able to offer. 

According to El Paso NBC affiliate KTSM's Colin Deaver, Pitt is one of two ACC teams in consideration for the Sun Bowl, scheduled for December 30 at 2 p.m. Duke is the other and two Pac 12 teams - Oregon State and UCLA - are in the mix to be on the other side of the field. 

“In the Pac-12 there’s still some scenarios that could possibly happen, but I think it’ll come down to UCLA or Oregon State and in the ACC it’s Pittsburgh or Duke,” Sun Bowl Executive Director Bernie Olivas said. “It’s looking like we’ll have at worst a 9-3 team from the Pac-12 and at worst an 8-4 team from the ACC which would be one of the best matchups we’ve had in years.”

Pitt's played in the Sun Bowl four times before, with the two most recent instances coming a decade apart. Pitt lost both games - the first in a historically ugly 3-0 affair to the Beavers in 2008 and again to Stanford, 14-13 after falling in the ACC Championship game. 

Action Network's Brett McMurphy has the Panthers venturing even further west to the Holiday Bowl, slated for December 28 at 7 p.m. at Petco Park in San Diego, California. McMurphy believes Pitt would take on the Oregon Ducks in that game and enter as a 7.5-point underdog. 

It would be a historically long trip for Pitt, who hasn't played that close to the Pacific Ocean since 1992 when they visited Hawaii and beat the Rainbow Warriors at their place. 

Make sure you bookmark Inside the Panthers for the latest news, exclusive interviews, recruiting coverage and so much more!

Pitt DT Calijah Kancey to Miss Bowl Game with Shoulder Injury

Former Pitt Target Phil Jurkovec to Transfer from Boston College

Pitt Preparing to Face NBA-Ready Prospect in NC State's Terquavion Smith

Pitt F William Jeffress Undergoes Season-Ending Surgery

Pitt G Greg Elliot Breaks Slump with Sharp Shooting Night vs Northwestern

Pitt RB Israel Abanikanda Comes Second in ACC Player of the Year Voting

Pitt DB Khalil Anderson Brings Transfer Portal Total to Four

• Follow Inside the Panthers on Twitter: @InsidePitt