Pitt football Impact of cancelled bowl games

Pitt football currently has a 5-5 record, with only a game against Georgia Tech left on the schedule. This means Pitt is in a position where typically a win would almost guarantee them a spot in a bowl game as the ACC usually has about 10 games they are linked to. This season however five bowls that the ACC has ties to have been cancelled already. These bowls are the Holiday Bowl, Quick Lane Bowl, Pinstripe Bowl, Fenway Bowl, and Sun Bowl.

With the cancellation of these games, the number of bowls for ACC teams is now limited. On top of this there are no bowl requirements this season, meaning teams below .500 could theoretically be invited to bowls. This means even if Pitt picks up the win against Georgia Tech to bump its record up to 6-5, it could still be jumped by bigger name programs that have worse records such as Florida State.

The Panthers currently sit at ninth in the ACC standings, but has the seventh best overall record in the conference. With Notre Dame bolstering an 8-0 record and Clemson at 7-1 it seems likely that both will reach the College Football Playoffs. That would remove them from the running for ACC bowls, which would leave Pitt with a better chance of earning a bid for a bowl game.

The one big thing standing in the way of these two teams making the CFP is the ACC Championship. Right now, it seems that these two will certainly be facing off in the ACC championship game. This means that one of these teams will pick up another loss. A close loss for Notre Dame likely wouldn’t be enough to make them miss the playoff, but Clemson picking up a second loss to Notre Dame could be detrimental to the Tigers hopes of competing in the CFP

Looking at the ACC standings without those two teams leaves Pitt with the fifth best record in the ACC, meaning as long as they win their last game at Georgia Tech they should find themselves playing in a bowl. Even losing this game should leave Pitt with a chance as long as Clemson and Notre Dame reach the playoff. If either of those teams fails to make the playoff though, Pitt’s hopes of a bowl game could be in jeopardy whether it wins or loses its final game.

There is still the possibility that the ACC will work to find more bowl games for its members. The conference has added the Montgomery Bowl to replace the Fenway Bowl already, so it seems possible that more bowls could be added. At the same time, there is still the possibility for more bowls to be cancelled, leaving things as a big mystery as to what bowls will and will not be available for ACC teams.

There is also a possibility that instead of playing in a bowl, Pitt schedules itself another opponent to play in its own makeshift “bowl” game. Fans have been calling for a classic Pitt-Penn State or Pitt-WVU matchup in place of a bowl this season. It seems unlikely but it is a possibility if Pitt fails to earn an invite to a bowl game.

With so many things still undetermined both in the ACC standings and in terms of what bowl games will be played this year it is difficult to predict whether Pitt will find itself playing in a bowl. All the Panthers can do at this point is go out and pick up a convincing victory against Georgia Tech and then hope that things fall in their favor and allow them to participate in a bowl game.