This past Friday, the Pittsburgh Panthers put in their most dominant performance of the season by dismantling Syracuse 41-13. The Orange entered the contest 5-1 so they were hardly a cupcake opponent. Pitt is now 7-0 on the season and firmly in the playoff conversation. However, they aren’t going to make it. Let’s take a look at why.
3 Reasons Undefeated Pittsburgh Won’t Make the Playoff
Eli Holstein
Redshirt freshman quarterback Eli Holstein has been impressive so far this season. He hasn’t thrown for big yardage in every game as the contest against Cal proved when the Panthers escaped with a narrow 17-15 win. He had zero touchdown passes and two interceptions in that encounter. However he has proved himself to be very capable by limiting his turnovers in the other games. He has also shown the ability to find the end zone on the ground even though his rushing totals for the season are limited.
Holstein was injured late in the blowout win over Syracuse and head coach Pat Narduzzi has been basically mum on his status heading into this week’s crucial matchup against once beaten SMU who is also in the mix for a playoff spot. If Holstein can’t go or play at full strength then Pitt is at a significant disadvantage going up against the high flying Mustangs.
The Schedule
The Panthers have a brutal finish to the regular season to say the least. With the ACC having what most people consider a down year, it’s no guarantee that Pitt would make the playoff with one loss.
In addition to this weeks meeting with the Mustangs, the Panthers host Clemson in two weeks in a game the Tigers also need to impress the committee. Then Pitt finishes the season with back to back road games at Louisville and at Boston College. Neither of those games will be easy against opponents good enough to cause trouble but not having the pressure to win to make the playoff. Keeping Pitt out of the playoff would be a nice ending to both teams seasons.
Haven’t Been There Before
Pitt has never been to the playoff or to the BCS championship since either format was created. Head coach Pat Narduzzi came to Pitt with much fanfare after a very successful tenure as the defensive coordinator at Michigan State. Unfortunately for much of his tenure in Pittsburgh, his teams have fielded top tier offenses but not top tier defenses. This season does appear different although up until this point the competition hasn’t been particularly strong. In other words we really don’t know yet.
It’s possible that the pressure of trying to make the playoff for the first time may do in this young Panthers squad. Narduzzi doesn’t have the experience leading a team through this process so he’s learning on the job in what is really his first rodeo even though he’s been leading the team now for almost a decade.
This season has been a surprising one for the Panthers so far. But with an injured QB, a very tough finishing schedule and a head coach who hasn’t navigated his team through the playoff qualifying wars, we think it’s far more likely that this season they don’t quite make it. Next year they will have a better chance to get to the playoff after having gone through the late season disappointment this time around.
Main Image: © Barry Reeger-Imagn Images
