Pitt Bowl Projections Following Loss to WVU

The Gasparilla Bowl

CBS Sports and ESPN's Kyle Bonagura both project Pitt to play in the Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla., on Friday, Dec. 19.

Bonaguara has the Panthers facing Mississippi State and CBS Sports picked South Carolina. No matter what specific teams play in the Gasparilla Bowl, the game will feature two teams from either the ACC, SEC or the American.

Last year's Gasparilla Bowl saw Florida defeat Tulane 33-8. The last ACC team to win the bowl game was in 2023 when Georgia Tech defeated UCF 30-17.

Mississippi State is off to a strong start to its season. The Bulldogs are 3-0 and upset No. 12 Arizona State 24-20 in Week 2. South Carolina just suffered a tough 31-7 loss to Vanderbilt and fell out of the AP Poll after being ranked at No. 11. The Gamecocks' star quarterback, LaNorris Sellers, also suffered an injury during that game and did not return.

Fun fact: The Gasparilla Bowl was named after the 'Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla,' an organization founded in 1904 that was inspired by the legend of Pirate Jose Gaspar. The organization hosts several pirate-themed events in the Tampa area, including the Gasparilla Pirate Fest and Children's Gasparilla, to celebrate the pirate Krewe's invasion of the area.

The Birmingham Bowl

ESPN's Mark Schlabach also projects Pitt to face Mississippi, but in the JLab Birmingham Bowl at Protective Stadium in Birmingham, Ala., on Monday, Dec. 29.

Like the Gaspirilla Bowl, the Birmingham Bowl will feature two teams from either the ACC, SEC or the American. Last year's matchup saw Vanderbilt beat Georgia Tech 35-27. The last ACC team to win was also in 2023 when Duke defeated Troy 17-10.

However, unlike the Gaspirella Bowl, Pitt has a previous history with this bowl game. The Panthers last played in the Birmingham Bowl in 2013 against Ole Miss, where the Rebels won 38-17.

Pitt also played the two years prior. In 2012, the Panthers fell to SMU 28-6, but got a 27-10 win over Kentucky in 2011. Running back Dion Lewis was named the game's MVP that year.

The Fenway Bowl

On3's Brett McMurphy has Pitt facing Memphis in the Wasabi Fenway Bowl at Fenway Stadium in Boston on Saturday, Dec. 27. Memphis won the first-ever Fenway Bowl 25-10 over Florida Atlantic in 2020.

The Fenway Bowl features a team from the ACC and a team from the American. UConn defeated North Carolina 27-14 in last year's game.

The last time the ACC won the bowl game was in 2023 when Boston College beat SMU 23-14. The year before that, Louisville won 24-7 over Cincinnati.

Memphis is also on a 3-0 start to its season. The Tigers have wins over Chattanooga, Georgia State and Troy. However, they will be tested this week when they host Arkansas.

Fun fact: The first collegiate game played at Fenway Park was between Boston College and Norwich University in 1914, with the Eagles winning decisively 28-6. Boston College called Fenway Park home for 76 games.

The Holiday Bowl

Sports Illustrated's Bryan Fischer projects Pitt to face USC in the Holiday Bowl on Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego.

This year's matchup will feature teams from the ACC and the Pac-12. The Pac-12 only consists of Oregon State and Washington State due to the recent conference realignment. But the deals to have these bowl game opportunities don't expire until the end of this season, so former Pac-12 schools are still able to play in the game, hence why Pitt is projected to play USC, which is now in the Big Ten.

However, last year's Holiday Bowl did feature an existing Pac-12 team. Syracuse defeated Washington State 52-35.

Like the Gasparella Bowl and the Fenway Bowl, Pitt would be making its first-ever appearance in this bowl game. Prior to Syracuse's win, no ACC team had ever won the Holiday Bowl. The first ACC team to play in the game was Louisville in 2023, which lost to USC 42-28.

California also made an appearance in 2011 when it was still part of the Pac-12. The Golden Bears lost to Texas 21-10 in that game.

USC is off to a 3-0 start to this season. The Trojans have wins over Missouri State, Georgia Southern and Purdue. They are also ranked in the AP Poll for the first time this season at No. 25.