Pitt Projected to Face UCLA in Bowl Rematch

The Pitt Panthers are projected to face the UCLA Bruins in a Sun Bowl rematch.

Dec 30, 2022; El Paso, Texas, USA; The Pittsburgh Panthers celebrate after defeating the UCLA Bruins, 37-35, in the 2022 Sun Bowl at the Sun Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Ivan Pierre Aguirre-Imagn Images / Ivan Pierre Aguirre-Imagn Images

PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers will face UCLA in a rematch of the 2022 Sun Bowl, according to their most recent bowl projections.

Mark Schlabach of ESPN projected the Panthers to face the Bruins in the Tony The Tiger Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas at 2:00 p.m. on Dec. 31, New Year's Eve.

The two teams played in an incredible game to end the 2022 season, with both teams taking the lead at different times.

UCLA scored to take a 35-34 lead with 34 seconds left, but Pitt quarterback Nick Patti led a game-winning drive, which placekicker Ben Sauls capped off with a 47-yard field goal, his fifth of the game, to win it 37-35.

Pitt has played in the Sun Bowl five total times, including wins over No. 19 Kansas 33-19 in 1975 and No. 16 Texas A&M, 31-28 in 1989.

They also suffered an infamous 3-0 defeat to No. 24 Oregon State in 2008 and a close 14-13 loss to Stanford in 2018.

UCLA started the season 1-5 with five straight defeats after their 16-13 road win over Hawaii. This included losses to then ranked No. 16 LSU in Week 4 and then ranked No. 7 Penn State in Week 6 on the road, plus defeats to Indiana in Week 3, then ranked No. 8 Oregon in Week 5 and Minnesota in Week 7 at home.

They have won their past three games including road wins vs. Rutgers in Week 8 and Nebraska in Week 10 and Iowa at home in Week 11, with all victories coming within a touchdown, to improve to 4-5 overall.

Pitt and UCLA faced off 14 times from 1958-72, only missing out in 1965. UCLA led the series with nine wins to Pitt's five wins during that time, including six straigth from 1964-70.

Brent McMurphy of Action Network and Brad Crawford of 247Sports both put Pitt in the Badboy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, N.Y. on Dec. 28, an ACC vs. Big Ten Bowl.

Pitt played in the Pinstripe Bowl back on Dec. 28, 2016, where they would lose to Northwestern, 31-24. They also played at Yankee Stadium last season, and lost to rival Syracuse 28-13 on Nov. 11, 2023, allowing 21 unanswered points in the second half.

McMurphy had Pitt going against Michigan and Crawford put Pitt up against Wisconsin.

The Panthers have only faced the Wolverines twice and suffered blowouts both times. The Wolverines won 40-0 in 1941 and then 69-0 in 1947, both taking place in Ann Arbor, Mich.

Michigan, who won the National Championship last season, has struggled under first-year head coach Sherrone Moore in 2024, sitting at 5-5 overall and 3-4 in the Big Ten.

Wisconsin is 5-4 overall and 3-3 in the Big Ten this season. They suffered losses of 42-10 to then ranked No. 4 Alabama at home in Week 3, 38-21 to then ranked No. 13 USC on the road in Week 5, 28-13 to then ranked No. 5 Penn State at home in Week 9 and a 42-10 blowout to Iowa on the road in Week 10.

Kyle Bonagura of ESPN placed Pitt against Iowa State in the Pop-Tarts Bowl at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla. on Dec. 28, which features an ACC opponent vs. a Big 12 opponent.

The Panthers and Cyclones met up once in the 2000 Insight.com Bowl, now the Guaranteed Rate Bowl, in Phoenix at Bank One Ballpark, now Chase Field, where the Arizona Diamondbacks play. The Cyclones came out victorious 37-29 in that sole meeting.

Iowa State has lost their past two matchups, falling 23-22 to Texas Tech at home in Week 10 and 45-36 to Kanas on the road in Week 11, dropping them to 7-2 overall and 4-2 in the Big 12.

Jerry Palm of CBS Sports put Pitt up against Arizona State in the Holiday Bowl on Dec. 27 at SnapDragon Stadium in San Diego, an ACC vs. Pac-12 bowl that Pitt has never played in.

The Sun Devils defeated the Panthers in Tempe, Ariz. 28-7 in 1973 in their sole meeting. They are also 7-2 overall and 4-2 in the Big 12, with losses on the road to the Red Raiders in Week 4, 30-22, and the Cincinnati Bearcats in Week 8, 24-14, who the Panthers defeated on the road in Week 2.

Arizona State's biggest win of the season came at home vs. then ranked No. 16 Utah, a 27-19 victory in primetime on ESPN in Week 7.

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