Inside The Panthers

Pitt Named 10th-Most Disappointing Team in College Football

The Pitt Panthers have earned some unflattering recognition from The Athletic.

Stephen Thompson

Pitt Named 10th-Most Disappointing Team in College Football
Pitt Named 10th-Most Disappointing Team in College Football /
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PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers are on the other side of their bye week and riding a four-game losing streak, the longest of head coach Pat Narduzzi's tenure, into a date with one of the hottest teams in college football. 

This season has gotten off to a dreadful start for the Panthers and has earned them some unflattering recognition from The Athletic's Ari Wasserman and David Ubben as one of the top 10 most disappointing teams in college football this season.

"Narduzzi had won 20 games and an ACC title in the past two seasons and finished in the Top 25 in both seasons." Wasserman and Ubben wrote. "It was a bit lofty to expect to compete for an ACC title this year, but no one expected the Panthers to be flirting with the basement of the league. ... Pitt skidded into its idle week on a four-game losing streak, but the program’s face plant has been hard to believe." 

They pointed to brutal play and the eventual benching of graduate transfer quarterback Phil Jurkovec, and Pitt's complete collapse from division and conference contender to cellar-dweller as reasons why they earned top-10 consideration. 

They've made some moves - like inserting redshirt sophomore quarterback Christian Veilleux and true freshman wide receiver Kenny Johnson into the lineup and tightening up rotations on defense - to try and turn the season around in the second half.  

LSU, Texas A&M, Notre Dame, Clemson, Arkansas, Baylor, UTSA and Miami preceded Pitt as nine of Wasserman and Ubben's top-10 in that order. USC earned a Dishonorable Mention as well. 

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Stephen Thompson
STEPHEN THOMPSON

Stephen Thompson graduated with a bachelor's degree in communications and political science from Pitt in April 2022 after spending four years as a sports writer and editor at The Pitt News, the University of Pittsburgh's independent, student-run newspaper.  He primarily worked the Pitt men's basketball beat, and filled in on coverage of football, volleyball, softball, gymnastics and lacrosse, in addition to other sports as needed. His work at The Pitt News has won awards from the Pennsylvania News Media Association and Associated College Press.  During the spring and summer of 2021, Stephen interned for Pittsburgh Sports Now, covering baseball in western Pennsylvania. Hailing from Washington D.C., family ties have cultivated a love of Boston's professional teams and Pitt athletics, and a fascination with sports in general.  You can reach Stephen by email at stephenethompson00@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter. Read his latest work:

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