Pitt Eyes the Next Step to Conference Elite

Pittsburgh's Jordan Whitehead (9) is knocked out of bounds at the 2-yard line by Louisville linebacker Keith Brown (1) during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 21, 2015 in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Fred Vuich) (Copyright by WSLS - All rights reserved)

CHARLOTTE (WSLS-10 SPORTS) The Pitt Panthers are coming off an 8-5 season which included wins at Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech and at Syracuse.

They notched resounding wins over Duke and Louisville as well.  Their 6-2 coastal mark was only a comeback against North Carolina short of a conference title game berth.

Recommended Videos



Still a conference newcomer himself, second year coach Pat Narduzzi is dealing with coaching turnover in the coastal.

"It's always fun--the chess match in the off-season of how you were going to defend a team again the next year, what they did to your you, what they didn't do--what they say what you thought they were going to do versus what you're going to do to them.  Those are all strategic things that are important.  Like after your play a team for seven or eight years then you really got a good bead on them. But I think things change when you have a new staff I mean you're going to go down to Miami and you're playing a brand-new team.  Player-- they have the same players you know,  we know Brad can throw it and all those things but he's got different reads and how are they gonna set him up in that offense and so forth," explains coach Narduzzi.

Pitt opens the year on the third hosting Villanova before a Pennsylvania showdown with Penn State on the 10th of September.