Oct 25, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers head coach Pat Narduzzi (middle) leads the Panthers to the stadium to play the North Carolina State Wolfpack at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Pitt Predicted to Make College Football Playoff

Originally posted on Pittsburgh Panthers on SI
By Mitchell Corcoran | Last updated Nov 10, 2025 9:00 AM ET

PITTSBURGH — Four ESPN writers have predicted the Pitt Panthers to make this year's College Football Playoff.

Adam Rittenberg, Mark Schlabach, Jake Trotter and Paolo Uggetti were four of the 11 total ESPN college football writers who projected Pitt to make the Playoff. All four had Pitt as the lone ACC team in the postseason and at the No. 11 seed.

Five of the other six writers had Georgia Tech as the No. 11 seed and the lone ACC Playoff berth. One writer, David Hale, excluded the ACC as a whole and instead had James Maddison as the No. 11 seed and North Texas at No. 12.

Can Pitt Actually Make the CFP?

Yes. The path of least resistance likely includes wins over both Miami and Georgia Tech in the coming weeks. That would give the Panthers a 7-1 conference record, and with more upsets this past weekend, 7-1 should be good enough to clinch a trip to Charlotte.

A win over Notre Dame this week would also most definitely help Pitt's chances. There is a possibility that the ACC champion will be excluded from this year's Playoff if the College Football Playoff Committee deems a Group of Five conference winner more suitable than a potential three-loss, or more, ACC winner — that's why Hale had James Maddison and North Texas in his prediction and excluded the ACC.

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Pitt has a decent resume, but nothing spectacular. Being 5-1 in any conference is impressive and has to count for something. The Panthers also have one ranked win over No. 25 Florida State, but the Seminoles have since fallen to 4-5, and the Week 3 loss to West Virginia is still tough to swallow, as the Mountaineers are now 4-6.

Adding a top-10 win over Notre Dame and two more conference wins over No. 17 Georgia Tech and No. 18 Miami would, without a doubt, give Pitt a good enough resume to be included in the College Football Playoff.

New CFP Format

The College Football Playoff seeding has also changed this season. Last year, four of the top five conference winners earned the top four seeds, which included a first-round bye week, and the fifth was given the No. 12 seed. Oregon, Arizona State, Georgia and Boise State had the top seeds in 2024, and Clemson was the lowest of the five at the No. 12 seed.

This year, the top five conference winners still earn an automatic bid, but they are no longer guaranteed a first-round bye. That will be decided by the College Football Playoff Committee, which will seed all 12 teams based on resume and other factors — hence why the ACC champion was projected to be the No. 11 seed by the ESPN panel.

If Pitt were to win out and win the ACC Championship, four ranked wins in the regular season, plus a projected fifth win in the conference title game, could be good enough to earn a top-four spot when it's all said and done.

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

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