There's absolutely nothing boring about Pitt football in style, seasons, and wild mood swings.

That's why it's among the ACC's biggest wild cards.

Head coach Pat Narduzzi proved that Pitt can win an ACC Championship, but lately, just when it seems like something fun is about to happen ... nope.

Can the Panthers Put It All Together and Win an ACC Championship?

It wasn't all that long ago when the Panthers won the 2021 ACC Championship, and that's why it always seems like they're this close to pulling off something big.

Coming off a 3-9 clunker, the 2024 Pitt team started 7-0 and looked like a true championship contender - and then lost its last six games.

The Panthers started 2-2 last season with heartbreaking close losses to West Virginia and Louisville.

They found their quarterback in Mason Heintschel during a five-game winning streak, and everyone started to get on board. And then they closed losing three of their last four.

This season's team has enough talent back to be terrific at times, but it's Pitt. It's going to be an interesting ride.

- 2026 Pitt Schedule Analysis

Pitt Quick Hits

• Head Coach: Pat Narduzzi (12th year: 80-61)
• Best Case / Worst Case: Win the ACC Championship/Struggle to stay in the ACC race
• Key Player: Mason Heintschel, QB Soph.
• 2025 Record: 8-5 
• Biggest Question: Can Pitt do all the little things right and win all of the games they're supposed to?

Pitt Key 2025 Stats

• Average Yards Per Carry: Pitt 3.5, Opponents 2.7
• Sacks: Opponents 44 for 325 yards, Pitt 31 for 274 yards
• 1st Quarter Scoring: Pitt 100, Opponents 48

Offense

Offensive coordinator Kade Bell has found his stride. 

There are plenty of things to work on, but he's got the quarterback, the style, and the pop to make Pitt a threat to crank up the production every time out.

Now the Panthers have to be more consistent, and they have to be stronger against the better teams. They have the personnel to do it.

What’s Working

Mason Heintschel. The 6-2, 215-pounder isn't all that big, and he doesn't run, but the guy can spin it.

With a big-time arm and a maturity to his game, the sophomore came up large last season with 2,354 yards and 16 touchdowns, even though he didn't fully take over the job until mid-October. 

He's the franchise, and Texas State transfer Holden Geriner is coming in to be the emergency option.

The ground game will take off. Heintschel will get the spotlight and the press, but the Panther rushing attack has the potential to carry its weight after a rough season.

The 1-2 rushing punch of Ja'Kyrian Turner and Western Kentucky transfer La'Vell Wright should combine to push for 1,500 yards.

When Pitt scores, Pitt wins. It was a true feast-or-famine team, going 8-0 when scoring 30 or more, and 0-5 when scoring fewer. 

Over the last four years, Pitt is 22-1 when coming up with 30 or more, and that one loss was in the six-overtime insanity against Toledo in the GameAbove Sports Bowl.

What Needs Work

Third down conversions. The Panthers were explosive, and scoring wasn't much of an issue, but they were the worst in the ACC in third down conversion, hitting them just 33% of the time.

The offensive front should be better, but it still has a long way to go. Three starters are back, with 6-7, 325-pound tackle Ryan Bare the best of the bunch, and with help coming in from the transfer portal.

However, it's still going to take some work after the Panthers were among the worst in the nation in sacks and tackles for loss allowed.

Avoid the mega-turnover games. The Panthers were tied with Syracuse with the most turnovers - 23 - giving it up five times against Louisville, and five more times in the Military Bowl against East Carolina. They lost both by one score.

Player to Watch

Ja'Kyrian Turner, RB Soph.
He's only 5-9 and 180 pounds, but he's tough, lightning quick, and he'll be used even more after leading the team with 745 yards and seven touchdowns, and catching 25 passes for 150 yards.

Defense

As always, Pitt is Pitt on defense.

It's always bringing the heat as one of the best pass rushing and attacking defenses in America, and it's always giving up a ton of passing yards, and it's always coming up with takeaways.

The aggressive style doesn't stop now, especially with a relatively loaded group of veterans who should keep the production going.

What’s Working

The pass rush. Every year under Pat Narduzzi - seriously, every year.

The Panthers find the right players for the system - the statistical stars don't really translate to the next level - and they keep coming in waves.

Be stunned if Pitt isn't first or second in the ACC in tackles for loss per game again.

The defensive front will be a plus. The production comes from all sides, with ends Isaiah Neal and Jimmy Scott combining for eight sacks and 15 tackles for loss, and the defensive tackles can move, too.

Nick James and Sean FitzSimmons are veterans who should combine for way over ten tackles for loss.

The takeaways allow for the offense to take more chances. No one likes turning it over, but Pitt is almost always able to let the offense go full throttle thanks to a defensive style that takes it away every game.

The Panthers only failed to come up with a turnover in one game last year - the 61-9 win over Duquesne from the FCS.

What Needs Work

The linebacking corps. The combination of Kyle Louis and Rasheem Biles was dominant, and now Louis is a Miami Dolphin and Biles is a Texas Longhorn.

Alex Sanford Jr. is a ready-made outside linebacker from Purdue, and the return of Braylon Lovelace in the middle - coming off an 80-tackle season with two sacks and 5.5 tackles for loss - will be a steadying force.

Giving up yards is part of the cost of doing business for the Pitt corners, and it'll be trial by fire for the new starters.

Shadarian Harrison got his feet wet on one side with 30 tackles and an interception, and in comes big transfer Raion Strader from Auburn along with Kanye Thompson from Syracuse.

The amazing run defense has to keep holding up. Thanks to all the tackles for loss, Pitt usually has a strong statistical run defense.

When opposing ground games are working, they keep handing it off. Pitt went 6-0 when teams ran it fewer than 34 times, and was 2-5 when offenses ran it more.

Player to Watch

Alex Sanford Jr., LB Sr.
How ridiculous was Rasheem Biles last year in Pitt's Money position?

101 tackles, 4.5 sacks, 17 tackles for loss, two interceptions - both for touchdowns - four broken up passes, and two forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery for a score.

Just do that, Alex, in that same Money spot - he came up with 46 tackles last year for Purdue.

Keys to the Season

• Keep quarterback Mason Heintschel from getting popped.
• The offense has to keep up the pressure - the scoring has to be consistent.
• Be sharper - fewer penalties, fewer turnovers, more third down conversions.

Player Who Needs To Shine

Mason Heintschel, QB Soph.
Pitt usually has a few quarterback options, but with all due respect to Texas State transfer Holden Geriner, the entire season is about Heintschel.

He had problems against Notre Dame and Miami, and his production fell off late, but when he was on - he lit up NC State for 423 yards, and cranked out 300 yards in four of his first five starts - he was special.

Biggest Concern

Running through the tape - have a good November.

Over the last three years, Pitt is 3-10 in the final month of the regular season.

Pitt lost a few early games, found their groove, got to 7-2, and then it all fell apart, losing three of the final four. 

To be fair, two of those losses were to Notre Dame and Miami, but the Panthers weren't even close.

The 2024 team started 7-0 and finished 7-6. 

What does this November look like? Florida State, at Louisville, at Cal.

Biggest Game

at Virginia Tech, October 2
As long as Pitt doesn’t biff the home games against UCF and Syracuse, it has a serious shot at starting 6-0 if it can get by the Hokies.

With the next road game at Boston College, 7-0 isn’t a crazy dream before going to Miami.

Transfer Portal

Pitt got better this offseason.

It brought in several players who fit the style - lots of help for Mason Heintschel - and went heavy with bulk talent over star power.

There were a few massive losses - there's no replacing Francis Brewu or Rasheem Biles on the defensive side - but overall it was a good run in the portal.

Best Signing

Raion Strader, CB (Auburn)
The Pittsburgh native started out his career at Miami University and was fantastic with 110 tackles and a ridiculous 31 broken up passes in two years.

He left for Auburn, but didn't do much last year. Now he's back home as a perfect fit for the Panther secondary. 

Biggest Loss

Francis Brewu, DT (Notre Dame)
Losing Rasheem Biles to Texas is every bit as big, but it's a bit easier to find playmaking linebackers than disruptive forces at tackle.

Brewu isn't massive, but the 6-1, 280-pounder can move, with 51 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and ten tackles for loss over the last two years. He'll be great for Notre Dame.

Other Names to Know

• Alex Sanford Jr., LB (Purdue)
• Jeremiah Warren, DT (Illinois)
• DeMarco Ward, LB (Memphis)

CFN Season Prediction

It's interesting with Pitt, because in some ways, it's among the most predictable of ACC teams.

You know what it's going to do on both sides of the ball. It's just a question of execution.

But on the flip side, it's nasty to figure out this bunch over the last few years, because it will lose to mediocre teams like 2025 West Virginia and 2024 Virginia, and Cincinnati and Wake Forest in 2023 (all of them finished with losing seasons).

CFN Prediction: 7-5

Here's the massive plus - and remember that Duke and Virginia played in the ACC Championship last year. Who do the Panthers miss?

Clemson, Duke, NC State, SMU, Virginia, and a great-looking Wake Forest team. (And Stanford, too, by the way.) 

And the biggest miss this year is Notre Dame, who was on last year's schedule.

The problem is the ACC road slate - at Virginia Tech, Boston College (both should be far, far better), Miami, Louisville, and Cal.

That doesn't even include home dates against UCF, Syracuse, North Carolina, Georgia Tech, and Florida State.

So like the last two years when Pitt hovered around the seven-to-eight win mark, expect that again.

Related: ACC Football Rankings 2026: Where Things Stand Before Spring

No pressure, Morgan Scalley, but win the Big 12, go to the College Football Playoff, and be legendary along the way.

Try this for a coaching run at Utah.

Ron McBride won 88 games in 13 years before being replaced by some Urban Meyer guy who went 22-2.

Meyer didn't coach in the Fiesta Bowl at the end of the 2004 season, but Kyle Whittingham did - he did okay for himself over 21 years before moving on to Michigan.

As good as Whittingham was, though, he never got the Utes to a College Football Playoff - Utah is one of the winningest programs never to get into the CFP.

Can Utah Keep Winning Under Morgan Scalley?

As good as he was, it's been forgotten that Whittingham needed a few years to get up to speed, going 15-10 in his first two full seasons.

Scalley will be expected to make Utah amazing immediately, with a relatively favorable schedule and ton of young talents ready to show what they can do.

For all of the discussion about Texas Tech last season, and BYU just missing out on the playoff, Utah went 10-2, was a dominant force by the end of the season, and the only losses were to the Red Raiders and Cougars.

Just do that, Morgan, and a little bit more.

- 2026 Utah Schedule Analysis

Utah Quick Hits

• Head Coach: Morgan Scalley (1st year, 1-0)
• Best Case / Worst Case: Win the Big 12 Championship/Be realistically out of the College Football Playoff hunt before October.
• Key Player: Zereoue Williams, OT Sr.
• 2025 Record: 11-2
• Biggest Question: Can the new coaches and players keep the elite production going?

Utah Key 2025 Stats

• 1st Quarter Scoring: Utah 113, Opponents 41
• Sacks: Utah 34 for 252 yards, Opponents 14 for 80 yards 
• Rushing Touchdowns: Utah 41, Opponents 18 

Offense

Utah didn't go far to get its new offensive coordinator.

Kevin McGiven made Bronco Mendenhall's offense crank out the numbers at Utah State last season.

The Aggies finished third in the Mountain West in total offense with 410 yards per game, and were second in scoring, averaging 31 points per outing.

No, he wasn't with Mendenhall at New Mexico in 2024, but it's the same sort of style that made a superstar out of ...

What’s Working

Devon Dampier. When he's on, he's among the most dynamic quarterbacks in college football.

He ran for almost 1,500 yards and 23 touchdowns at New Mexico, and last season he ran for 835 yards and two scores, and threw for close to 2,500 yards and 24 scores, with the Utes. 

The running game should be even more amazing. The Utes averaged six yards per carry thanks to Dampier, and leading rusher Wayshawn Parker, a quick back who led the Big 12 averaging 6.6 yards per carry on his 981 yards.

Backup quarterback Byrd Ficklin averaged 8.4 yards per carry with 513 yards and ten scores.

The Utes landed a few wonderful receivers from the portal. JJ Buchanan took off to Michigan, but Utah State star Braden Pegan followed McGiven over to Salt Lake City.

Getting Kyri Shoels from San Jose State and Ricky Johnson from Mississippi State might not be an upgrade overall from last year's Ute receiving corps, but these guys catch passes.

What Needs Work

The offensive line. Yeah, okay, it's Utah. It's got a big front five, and it'll be just fine with upperclassmen about to step into big roles, but losing NFL blockers Spencer Fano and Caleb Lomu is a problem.

Cedric Jefferson is a ready-made starting tackle from Montana State, and there has to be a spot somewhere for guard Isaiah Kema from Ohio State, but true freshman Kelvin Obot might be the new star at one of the tackle gigs.

Always dominate on third downs. This means Dampier has to be consistently accurate, and the running game has to turn in good plays early to set up easy third down chances.

Utah led the Big 12 and was third in the nation converting 53% of its third down tries, but Texas Tech allowed the Ute attack to convert 29% of the time.

That was one loss, and the other loss came to BYU when the offense had its second-worst third down day when Dampier was under center.

Be mistake-free. That's asking for way too much, and turnovers certainly weren't a problem, but again with the losses to Texas Tech and BYU, those were two of the three days the Utes gave the ball away multiple times. 

The season-high 12 penalties against the Cougars didn't help.

Player to Watch

Braden Pegan, WR Sr.
The 6-3, 210-pound veteran led the Utah State offense with 60 catches for 926 yards and five scores. He's a matchup nightmare with his size - Dampier will keep pushing the deep shots to him.

Defense

Colton Swan moves up from coaching up the linebackers to being Morgan Scalley's defensive coordinator.

He has to make this group better with a whole slew of new players.

The transfer portal isn't helping as much as it is for the offensive side. It's mostly up to in-house players to take over and improve a defense that finished a pedestrian eighth last year after ending up third in 2024.

What’s Working

The linebackers are good. Leading tackler Johnathan Hall is back after making 67 stops with six tackles for loss, and while Cyrus Polu, Trey Reynolds, and Elijah Elliss were backups, there's great upside with this group.

Utah, as always, has the beef up front. It might not be experienced, and there might need to be a decent rotation, but the tackles are full of plenty of 300-pounders to work with.

6-6, 305-pound Karson Kaufusi, 6-2, 298-pound Pupu Sepulona and transfers Jireh Moe (San Jose State) and Lucas Samsula (Wyoming) are all young, and they'll all grow into the gigs.

Scoring defense. Yes, this is a new group with a ton of new parts and lots of work to do on the depth, but for all of the flaws and yards allowed, it gave up 14 points or fewer seven times, and the team was 9-0 when allowing fewer than 24.

What Needs Work

The Utah secondary lost a ton of talent. No, the Utes didn't lose a ton of talent to Michigan, but they took a hit here.

Smith Snowden was a whale of a corner for the Utes, and Salesi Moa was an elite recruit who never saw the field.

Veteran safety Tao Johnson left for UCLA, and backup corners Don Saunders (Purdue) and Jason Stokes Jr. (Colorado) also left.

The run defense has to be far, far better. Utah was third in the Big 12 against the run, allowing 1,559 yards, and last year it was 14th, giving up 2,355 yards.

The Utes allowed over 200 rushing yards five times last season. It gave up over 200 once in 2024, and in 2023, the defense didn't let anyone get past 150 yards.

How fast can the pass rushers step up? John Henry-Daley made 11.5 sacks last year - he's off to Michigan.

Ethan Day is coming in from North Texas, and Kash Dillon was third on the team with 3.5 sacks, but there's not a lot experience-wise to count on from the other side.

Player to Watch

Johnathan Hall, LB Sr.
A bulked up safety, the 6-1, 226-pound Hall has gotten better and better over the last three seasons. He has the quickness to make 16 tackles for loss, and the upside is there to be more of a pass rusher, but no matter what, he'll be the all-around statistical star in the middle of the linebacking corps.

Keys to the Season

• Get the offensive line up to the 2025 level as soon as possible - if it's possible.
• Be better overall against the run, and be consistent about it.
• Don't get too crazy about changing up the style with the coaching changes. All the new assistants have to fit in right away.

Player Who Needs To Shine

Zereoue Williams, OT Sr.
There's a chance this is Kelvin Obot's left tackle job after fall camp, but no matter who takes this spot, it'll be asking a lot to replace Caleb Lomu.

One of them might take over for Spencer Fano at right tackle if it's not Cedric Jefferson.

Williams is a 6-8, 305-pound mountain who served last year as Lomu's understudy. He might be tall and rangy, but he can run block.

Biggest Concern

Bring back the nasty on defense.
There were times when the Utah defense was a brick wall, and the other side had no chance whatsoever. 

UCLA couldn't move a lick, Arizona State couldn't go anywhere, and to be nice about it, Utah's defense made Colorado look like it wanted to go do something else with its life.

And that needs to be more of the norm.

Utah gave up over 420 yards five times last season. It gave up more than that a grand total of zero times in 2024, and twice in 2023.

Biggest Game

BYU, November 7
You can make a case for either one of the back-to-back road games against Arizona or TCU, and the date against Arkansas in Week 2 is big, but ...

Come on. Utah needs to win the home game against the hated rival before going to Tucson and Fort Worth.

Transfer Portal

The loss of players to Michigan and Kyle Whittingham was minimal - just five players at last count. It wasn't nearly as bad as, say, Matt Campbell taking 24 Iowa State players with him to Penn State.

Overall, the portal experience was a net negative, but only slightly. The star power isn't there, but there's depth.

Best Signing

Ethan Day, EDGE (North Texas)
There was a little bit of production in his two years at Wyoming, and then he turned into a star last season at North Texas with 53 tackles, 4.5 sacks, and seven tackles for loss.

Biggest Loss

Tao Johnson, S (UCLA)
A key part of the Utah defense over the last three years, he leaves after making 154 tackles with six tackles for loss, three picks, and 13 broken up passes.

Other Names to Know

• James Chenault, CB (USF)
• Lucas Samsula, DT (Wyoming)
• Steve Chavez-Soto, RB (San Jose State)

CFN Season Prediction

This isn't the Utah team of last year, and the Big 12 is dangerous from top to bottom, but the chip on everyone's shoulder is for real.

Yes, there are a whole slew of backups needing to play key roles now, but they're going to bring the energy to go along with the great production from the backfield.

But, like it is for everyone, it's all about the schedule. Utah doesn't have to deal with Texas Tech.

Not playing Kansas State this season will be huge as the season goes on, and missing Arizona State is a plus, too. 

CFN Prediction: 10-2

Arkansas will be a terrific early test, and dealing with a trip to Iowa State for the Big 12 opener will be tricky. But BYU and Houston are home games, and Colorado and Cincinnati aren't bad to deal with on the road.

There will be slip-ups, and they'll likely come late at Arizona and TCU.

But the schedule progresses well enough that the team should be jelled by the time the Big 12 season starts, and there's no reason to shoot for anything less than last year's 10-2 regular season record.

By the way, do that, and it'll almost certainly be a better season record-wise than what Whittingham is about to have at Michigan.

Related: Big 12 Football Win Totals 2026: Spring Predictions for All 16 Teams