Three Games for Pitt Fans to Watch During Bye Week

Just because the Pitt Panthers don't play doesn't mean there aren't games worth watching.

PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers get some sorely needed extra rest during Week 6 as they take their annual bye before gearing up for the home stretch of the regular season.  

With the Panthers sitting at 1-4 and 0-2 in ACC play, it is probably not worth scoreboard watching to keep track of where they might fall in the standings and the race for a berth in the ACC Championship game. But there are still compelling matchups that will provide some insight into the remainder of Pitt's schedule and the future of the conference. 

Virginia Tech at No. 5 Florida State (-24) - 3:30 p.m., ABC
Has Virginia Tech found something in the dynamic running and big arm of Kyron Drones or did they benefit from a matchup with Pitt's poor run defense last week? We're going to find out as the middling Hokies look to make a statement against a top-five team. 

Florida State, despite all their success this season, gives up an average of 128 yards per game on the ground and Virginia Tech has run for north of 120 yards and a touchdown per game so far this season. This game could be unexpectedly close, especially early, if the Hokies can control the clock and force the crowd at Doak S. Campbell Stadium to sit on their hands.  

Pitt also gets Florida State far enough down the road that, if the new-look offensive line gels over the next few weeks, they could take advantage of that same porous Seminole run defense as well. 

Wake Forest at Clemson (-21) - 3:30 p.m., ACC Network
Wake Forest sits at just 3-1 but the slow-mesh offense that has become a staple of head coach Dave Clawson's program has given good defenses hell before. Just how effectively it can be run against elite teams without the guidance of Sam Hartman will be tested this week. 

The shine of some healthy preseason expectations for Wake Forest has been taken off by a confounding 14-point loss to Georgia Tech, but this is still a dangerous team. Pitt draws the Demon Deacons after Louisville. 

Beyond the immediate questions of who is on Pitt's schedule is who will be running Pitt's conference in the near future. Just how dramatic will Clemson's decline be and can they maintain their perch among the upper echelon of the ACC? I'm not sure the Tigers can cement their status as elite by beating Wake Forest but they sure can fall decidedly out of it by losing. 

No. 10 Notre Dame (-6.5) at No. 25 Louisville - 7:00 p.m., ABC
Besides being one of the most compelling matchups in a pretty full day of college football, this game will offer Pitt a look at two future opponents and difficult ones at that. 

If Louisville pulls the home upset of Notre Dame, they'll be riding into Acrisure Stadium the following week on an emotional high, likely ranked in the top-15 and primed for a letdown loss. If they lose as many expect, cracks in the armor will have been exposed and the Cardinals' confidence will have taken a severe hit. 

The same goes for the Irish, who can still dream of a College Football Playoff Berth with their lone loss coming at the hands of a top-five Ohio State squad by one score. This is the type of opponent Pitt has played spoiler to in recent history.   

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