Friday night in Blacksburg gives college football something unusual: a matchup between two unbeaten Power Conference teams that still haven’t cracked the rankings.
Pitt and Virginia Tech both enter Week 5 undefeated, yet neither side is in the AP Poll. That’s what makes this one a little bit of history. It’s the first game of its kind between two unbeaten, power-conference teams that are both unranked.
Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi didn’t hide his frustration when asked about it this week. "I think there's biases out there," Narduzzi said this week when asked about both teams being unranked. "I think it's a joke, quite honestly, the preseason rankings."
The Panthers have spent September looking like a team that expects to be taken seriously. They’re 4-0 with wins over Miami (Ohio), UCF, Syracuse and Bucknell, and they’ve done it behind a passing game that has been one of the best in the country. Returning starting quarterback Mason Heintschel has thrown for 1,191 yards, 13 touchdowns and one interceptions, helping Pitt rank fifth nationally in passing at 347 yards per game.
That offense has been backed by a defense that has barely given up anything at all. Pitt has allowed just 8.5 points per game, which ranks third in the nation. Josh Guerrier and Alex Sanford Jr. lead the team in tackles.
Virginia Tech has its own unbeaten start to protect. Head coach James Franklin has the Hokies 4-0 for the first time since 2017, with wins over VMI, Old Dominion, Maryland and Boston College. The last two were tougher: Maryland was beaten 35-26 on the road, and Boston College was a sloppy 21-14 win in a nor'easter.
Quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer, who followed Franklin from Penn State, has thrown for 1,012 yards and eight touchdowns. On the ground, Jeffrey Overton Jr. and Marcellous Hawkin Jr. have combined for 615 rushing yards and eight scores.
Virginia Tech is a slight 2.5-point home favorite.
There’s also a familiar edge between the coaches. Franklin and Narduzzi crossed paths in the Pitt-Penn State rivalry, with Franklin winning three straight from 2017-19 after Pitt took the 2016 game 12-0. After that 2016 Pitt win, Franklin accused the Panthers’ defensive players of clapping to mess with Penn State’s cadence, and Narduzzi brushed it off as "an excuse."
When Penn State beat Pitt 33-14 the following year, Franklin took another shot at the Panthers.
"I know last year for their win (against us), it was like the Super Bowl," Franklin said. "But for us, this was just like beating Akron."
In Other News...
Pitt Escaped With A Win Fans Still Aren't Settled On
Pitt walked away with a 35-33 win over Virginia Tech, but the finish left plenty of people around the game looking at the replay instead of the scorebook. John Loves 36-yard field goal attempt as time expired was ruled no good, and the call held even as slow-motion video sparked a fresh round of debate over whether the kick had actually slipped inside the left upright.
The larger issue is what happens next when a game ends on a decision like that and the rules keep the booth from stepping in. Virginia Tech coach James Franklin voiced concern afterward about how clear the ruling was, and while Pitt gets to count the victory, the conversation around this one is likely to linger long after the teams have moved on. [Read more 🡒]
Mason Heintschel Faces A Huge Pitt Test In Hostile Territory
Mason Heintschels season has already offered a little of everything for Pitt, with some games showing the sophomore quarterbacks big-play upside and others reminding everyone how uneven a young passer can be. Now he gets his next major proving ground as the Panthers head to Virginia Tech for their first road game of the season, a setting that will ask as much about poise and command as it does about arm talent.
Heintschel has been unbeaten away from home in his college career, which gives Pitt reason to believe he can handle a difficult night in a hostile stadium. Still, road games have a way of exposing even small cracks, and this one feels especially important for both the quarterback and the Panthers as they try to establish some consistency early in the season. [Read more 🡒]
Pitt Just Became A Much Bigger Problem For Miami
Pitts unbeaten start kept rolling in dramatic fashion Saturday, and the Panthers needed every bit of it. Virginia Tech lined up for a 36-yard field goal on the final play with a chance to steal the game, but John Love missed, sending Pitt home with a 35-33 win and another reminder that Pat Narduzzis team is not going away quietly. The victory pushed the Panthers to 5-0, a mark that has only fueled the frustration around how theyre being viewed nationally.
Narduzzi made clear afterward that he believes his team has earned more respect from AP poll voters, and the conversation around Pitt is only getting louder. It helps that the Panthers found a way to survive even after starting quarterback Mason Heintschel left with a knee injury, with backup Holden Geriner stepping in to help finish the job. For Miami, a ranked-checking week just got a lot more complicated, because Pitt keeps stacking wins and finding different ways to answer every challenge. [Read more 🡒]