The Pittsburgh Panthers have an opportunity to make history over the next month. If everything goes their way and they handle business, Pittsburgh can appear in the College Football Playoffs for the first time. It is currently ranked 24th in the nation with a 7-2 record. Pat Narduzzi’s team is averaging 39.7 points per game, the eighth most in the country. They are 5-0 since Mason Heintschel took over at quarterback, and the next three games will be the biggest games of his life.
Heintschel has been a game-changer since taking over. The freshman passer has thrown 12 touchdown passes while averaging 257.8 passing yards per game. He has led the Panthers to five straight wins since he took Eli Holstein’s job, including the upset of the Florida State Seminoles. Heintschel and Kade Bell have the Pittsburgh offense rolling at the right time, and Desmond Reid has only played six games.
Ja’Kyrian Turner and Juelz Goff have combined for ten touchdowns. Raphael Williams leads the ACC with six receiving touchdowns. Blue Hicks and Kenny Johnson each have four touchdown catches. Heintschel is spreading the love in the Panthers’ offense. Averaging 40 points per game is unheard of in the Steel City. Pittsburgh’s defense can be great, but that is a theme in the city. They pick when they want to show up, just like the Steelers.
At 7-2, the Panthers are in second place in the ACC behind the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Pittsburgh has three games remaining against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Georgia Tech, and Miami Hurricanes. If the Panthers can ruffle feathers and get bounces to go their way, they can find themselves in the College Football Playoffs mix. They have to avoid a late-season meltdown, which is hard to do in Pittsburgh. Ask the Steelers and Pirates. They love falling apart down the stretch.
Notre Dame will be a great test for the Panthers. If they shut down CJ Carr and Jeremiyah Love, the rest of the nation should be worried. Georgia Tech and Miami will be tough ACC opponents and crucial games to win if they want to make the College Football Playoffs. All three teams are ranked, but Pittsburgh is too. It is a long shot, but the opportunity to go to the College Football Playoffs is there for Narduzzi’s football team.
After the despicable loss in the Backyard Brawl, everybody counted the Panthers out. Pittsburgh fans wanted Narduzzi fired, but if he gets them to the College Football Playoffs, he will be a hero. A playoff win might earn him a statue. Nobody saw the Panthers as a threat in the ACC, but they have shown the nation that they can be a scary football team if they are firing on all cylinders.
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