Pat Narduzzi Should Stay in His Lane

There is nothing wrong with standing up for your conference. And after Miami’s run to the National Championship game last season, there is a chance that the ACC is on an upswing. Pride in the ACC is one thing, but his complete unawareness of the big picture is another.

“This conference is as good as any conference in the country,” Narduzzi said. “I don’t care what you make and all that. I don’t care about how many resources you have and all that baloney. Talk about different conferences and what they make… Coming from Michigan State (as an assistant), spent eight seasons there. Coming to Pitt in 2015, I said it then, I said it now. After about two years in the league, this conference is better — it’s better than the Big Ten. It’s got more skill… I’ve said that for years and I’m going to stick to my guns.”

Sticking to your guns isn’t a good thing in this situation. He should immediately drop his gun and surrender. Here are just a few reasons:

• The Big Ten has won the last three National Championships, including Indiana’s victory over Miami seven months ago
• Since arriving at Pittsburgh, Narduzzi is 1-6 against the Big Ten; his only win game ten years ago
• Narduzzi has led Pittsburgh to 2-6 record in bowl games, including losses to Northwestern (2016) and Michigan State (2021). The Panthers have also lost to Navy (2015), Toledo (2024) and East Carolina (2025).
• In the 2026 NFL Draft, the Big Ten had 68 players get drafted, while the ACC had 38
• The Big Ten is the wealthiest conference in the country; the ACC made approximately $640M less in 2025
• While the Big Ten recently expanded with USC, Oregon, UCLA and Washington, the ACC did so with SMU, Cal and Stanford
• The ACC spent years fighting an internal legal battle with marquee members Florida State and Clemson, who have actively attempted to exit the conference

Chances are high that all of this will quiet down in the coming days and weeks, but you can be sure that, when necessary, it will resurface. And that is something that Narduzzi could have and should have avoided. This is all proof that good coaches don’t always make the smartest decisions off the field and in front of a mic.