Aug 30, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers wide receiver Deuce Spann (7) runs after a catch against Duquesne Dukes defensive back Joel Kpassou (8) during the second quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Pitt Falls in Post-Week 1 Rankings

Originally posted on Pittsburgh Panthers on SI
By Mitchell Corcoran | Last updated Sep 2, 2025 3:00 PM ET

PITTSBURGH — The Pitt Panthers dropped two spots in The Athletic's 136-team rankings on Sept. 2. The Panthers dropped despite blowing out Duquesne 61-9 in Week 1. The Panthers fell from No. 33 to No. 35.

Two ACC teams broke into the top 10 after winning their Week 1 games. Florida State climbed from No. 49 to No. 3 for defeating Alabama 31-17 at home and Miami jumped from No. 13 to No. 4 for beating Notre Dame at home 27-24. Clemson dropped from No. 2 to No. 6 for losing to LSU 17-10.

The slight drop for Pitt was caused by playing an FCS team, Duquesne, and teams previously ranked lower, who jumped higher after strong performances.

"Teams that beat what I think is a good team will see a big jump; teams that lose to a team I don’t think is good will drop significantly," said the author of the rankings, Chris Vannini.

Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Other teams, like Florida State, were ranked below the Panthers in the Week 1 rankings, but played well and made a big leap. South Florida rose 39 spots after upsetting Boise State 34-7, TCU climbed 11 spots after destroying North Carolina 48-14, Kansas jumped five spots after winning 31-7 over Fresno State and Tulane went up four spots after beating Northwestern 23-3.

The ACC teams ranked above Pitt are No. 32 Georgia Tech, No. 27 Louisville, No. 22 SMU, No. 6 Clemson, No. 4 Miami and No. 3 Florida State. The Panthers are scheduled to play four of the six opponents currently ranked above them, along with No. 7 Notre Dame.

Pitt will face Central Michigan this week and West Virginia in the Backyard Brawl the following week. Those teams are ranked No. 91 and No. 66, respectively. The Chippewas saw a rise of 24 spots after defeating San Jose State 16-14 and West Virginia rose three spots for handling Robert Morris 45-3.

The Panthers will also play No. 50 Boston College, No. 53 Syracuse, No. 52 NC State and No. 95 Stanford this season.

This article first appeared on Pittsburgh Panthers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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