Pittsburgh Panthers
Last year: 8-5 (4-4 ACC), beat Eastern Michigan, 34-30, in Quick Lane Bowl Best win: vs. No. 15 UCF, 35-34 Worst loss: at Virginia Tech, 28-0
Coach: Pat Narduzzi (sixth year, 36-29)
Starters returning: 17 (8 offense, 7 defense, 2 specialists)
Offensive player to watch: QB Kenny Pickett. A junior last season, Pickett completed 61.6 percent of his passes for 3,098 yards, 13 touchdowns, and nine picks. Pickett recorded only one more TD than in 2018 but three more interceptions. But he did throw for 1,000 more yards as Pitt became more pass-oriented rather than run-oriented, and his completion percentage ticked up from 58.1. Pickett will be in his third year starting and must take another step to help the Panthers take another step. They have won eight games three times under Narduzzi, seven once, and five once. With four returners on the offensive line and a second year under offensive coordinator Mark Whipple, Pitt is hoping Pickett takes full advantage of his final season.
Defensive player to watch: DE Patrick Jones II. As a junior in 2019, Jones, who is from Chesapeake, Va., racked up 43 tackles, 12 for losses, 8.5 sacks, 18 quarterback hits, and four forced fumbles (fifth in NCAA). He is an All-America candidate this season. One of his linemates, Jaylen Twyman, would've been in this spot after recording a team-leading 10.5 sacks a season ago, but Twyman decided to opt out of the season and instead focus on the draft.
Special teams player to watch: P Kirk Christodoulou. As a sophomore, Christodoulou boomed punts an average of 43 yards and put 22 inside the 20-yard line.
Schedule: open, vs. Syracuse, vs. Louisville, vs. N.C. State, at Boston College, at Miami, vs. Notre Dame, bye, at Florida State, at Georgia Tech, vs. Virginia Tech, at Clemson, bye.
Win-loss prediction: 6-4 or 7-3. Pitt is another team bitten by the MAC's cancellation of fall football, with Miami of Ohio no longer lined up to be the Panthers' nonconference opener. In the ACC, Coastal rival UNC, which probably would've been the division favorite had there been divisions this season, was booted from Pitt's revised schedule, but Clemson was added. Ouch. Notre Dame was already on the calendar. Those are the only two matchups that look like probable losses, though. This team brings back a ton of experience. The untimely decision of Twyman (early August) to opt out is a hit to the defense, but he was far from the only star on that unit last season. Paris Ford (97 tackles, three picks, 11 breakups) and Damar Hamlin (84 tackles, one pick, 10 breakups) make up perhaps the ACC's best safety duo, and DE Rashad Weaver led the team in sacks in 2018 but missed last year with an injury. Even if the offense isn't a lot better, the defense is great enough to win games by itself. The Panthers must perform well in crunch time if the defense can keep games close, and they were good in that regard last season: Nine games were decided by one score, with Pitt going 6-3 in those contests.
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