That's a move up of seven places.
Nebraska is not close despite being 5-0 also. The "Huskers" received 48 votes (Pitt got 162), only good for thirty-first. Nebraska was at thirty-three in last Sunday's poll. It's surprising. Nebraska clocked East Lansing Spartak last week in Michigan and beat another B1G team, Maryland, yesterday. Pitt has beaten UCF, a Big XII, team in a lonely field beyond Fort Pitt, awful Syracuse (ACC), also at home. The eye test I guess, and the win over Va. Tech, ACC, 30th last week in one of the toughest, most intimidating stadiums in the country in Blacksburg, did it.
The "Panthers" season is in doubt with the injury to Mason Heintschel. North Carolina comes to the lonely field next week. Pitt started the 2024 season 7-0 behind QB Eli Holstein. We were ranked 18th on November 22. We then lost our last six games (including bowl).
I have belief in this team even without Heintschel. We have won five different ways so far this season. We have good receivers for whomever is pitching, good running backs, and a defense that until Va. Tech I thought would be the difference in making us a legit top-25 team. We're not going to lose the rest of our games, so I don't expect a second-half El Foldo as we did in 2024.
After UNC we play at Pigeons (dub), at Miami (Elle), home to Georgia Tech, home to Half Ass U, at Louisville, at California. We're not going to lose all of those.
