Tonight is not a "must win" for PItt, but if it wants to find itself playing for a National Championship at the end of this season...

[YourPittDanceTeam]

it not only needs to win, but win in a convincing manner with a score to match it. A win tonight covering the -7.5 points they are favored, will not hurt their pre-season ranking of #17 (AP Poll), but a more comfortable victory (in a nationally televised game), say in the area of 42-17 would certainly draw some more votes towards the Pitt football team.
With a more comfortable victory, they would probably move up a couple of spots in next weeks poll. Add a win against Tennessee the following week and they could very well a spot of two away from the Top 10.
I just hope that Pat Narduzzi allows Cignetti to throw the ball down the field which will help open up the Pitt running game.
Wish I could be at the game, but my job says otherwise.
Hope everyone has a fun time and brings home a BIG Pitt win. Watch the drinking and driving because I do not want to have to meet any of you in the ER later tonight.
H2P!!!

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

it not only needs to win, but win in a convincing manner with a score to match it. A win tonight covering the -7.5 points they are favored, will not hurt their pre-season ranking of #17 (AP Poll), but a more comfortable victory (in a nationally televised game), say in the area of 42-17 would certainly draw some more votes towards the Pitt football team.
With a more comfortable victory, they would probably move up a couple of spots in next weeks poll. Add a win against Tennessee the following week and they could very well a spot of two away from the Top 10.
I just hope that Pat Narduzzi allows Cignetti to throw the ball down the field which will help open up the Pitt running game.
Wish I could be at the game, but my job says otherwise.
Hope everyone has a fun time and brings home a BIG Pitt win. Watch the drinking and driving because I do not want to have to meet any of you in the ER later tonight.
H2P!!!

We arent going to make the CFP. That said, today's score is meaningless to that committee. Pitt needs to go 13-0 to make it. It does matter if we win 3-0 or 70-0. 13-0 and we're in. 12-1 and we're not

 

[Dointhatrag]

It is a must win if you want to keep the momentum started last year with this program. Coming out tonight and crapping the bed in your sold out home opener being preseason ranked, being presented the ACC championship trophy, with alumni in attendance against an arch rival on national TV is a must win. A loss puts this program right back to 2020 in terms of interest and national relevance.

 

[UPitt '89]

it not only needs to win, but win in a convincing manner with a score to match it. A win tonight covering the -7.5 points they are favored, will not hurt their pre-season ranking of #17 (AP Poll), but a more comfortable victory (in a nationally televised game), say in the area of 42-17 would certainly draw some more votes towards the Pitt football team.
With a more comfortable victory, they would probably move up a couple of spots in next weeks poll. Add a win against Tennessee the following week and they could very well a spot of two away from the Top 10.
I just hope that Pat Narduzzi allows Cignetti to throw the ball down the field which will help open up the Pitt running game.
Wish I could be at the game, but my job says otherwise.
Hope everyone has a fun time and brings home a BIG Pitt win. Watch the drinking and driving because I do not want to have to meet any of you in the ER later tonight.
H2P!!!

False.

The margin of victory in a season opening game won't even be remembered by the CFP poll voters when the first poll comes out in late October.

Any P5 team that is undefeated after 7 or 8 games will be in the Top 5. Even if every win was by 1 point.

 

[The Ole Six-Fiver]

It is a must win if you want to keep the momentum started last year with this program. Coming out tonight and crapping the bed in your sold out home opener being preseason ranked, being presented the ACC championship trophy, with alumni in attendance against an arch rival is a must win. A loss puts this program right back to 2020 in terms of interest and national relevance.

This is correct. For all intents and purposes, this is the follow up game to our ACC championship game. The bowl loss can be written off due to having our top two QBs out. This is truly the game that is needed to show that the championship wasn’t a fluke. I don’t think Pitt will sniff the playoffs either, but we sure as hell don’t want that dream to die in the very first game (rivalry or no).

 

[FireballZ]

We arent going to make the CFP. That said, today's score is meaningless to that committee. Pitt needs to go 13-0 to make it. It does matter if we win 3-0 or 70-0. 13-0 and we're in. 12-1 and we're not

Thanks for posting this, now we definitely can get in at 12-1. Utter silliness. Way too early to tell. WVU, Tennessee, Miami and UNC could all have nice years. If Pitt goes 12-1 and beats a 0 or 1 loss Clemson/NC State in the ACCCG, they'd absolutely still have a shot.

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

I think it is a must win. Moreso than next week. You want to build respect locally and build on to the fanbase. You got to win these games. Got to. It is also equally important to the ACC. I read somewhere the ACC was 1-11 in openers against P5 opponents over the past few years. You can't have your ranked, defending conference champs knocked off, at home, by a team picked towards the bottom of the Big 12.

This is absolutely, unequivocally a must win for this program.

 

[YourPittDanceTeam]

We arent going to make the CFP. That said, today's score is meaningless to that committee. Pitt needs to go 13-0 to make it. It does matter if we win 3-0 or 70-0. 13-0 and we're in. 12-1 and we're not

SMF...Could not disagree with you more when you say the score of tonight's game is meaningless. This will probably be the only time this year that the eyes of most college football fans around the nation will get to see Pitt in action. A big win tonight equals a jump in votes by the pollsters from around the country.

 

[YourPittDanceTeam]

Thanks for posting this, now we definitely can get in at 12-1. Utter silliness. Way too early to tell. WVU, Tennessee, Miami and UNC could all have nice years. If Pitt goes 12-1 and beats a 0 or 1 loss Clemson/NC State in the ACCCG, they'd absolutely still have a shot.

Thank you FireballZ!!!

 

[UPitt '89]

SMF...Could not disagree with you more when you say the score of tonight's game is meaningless. This will probably be the only time this year that the eyes of most college football fans around the nation will get to see Pitt in action. A big win tonight equals a jump in votes by the pollsters from around the country.

You're wrong.

A win of 1 point and a win of 30 points will have the same impact in late October on the committee.

At that time, there will be at most 5 or 6 undefeated teams. If Pitt is one of them, the score from Sept 1st won't matter one bit.

 

[YourPittDanceTeam]

You're wrong.

A win of 1 point and a win of 30 points will have the same impact in late October on the committee.

At that time, there will be at most 5 or 6 undefeated teams. If Pitt is one of them, the score from Sept 1st won't matter one bit.

No, I'm not wrong. Pitt needs to go out and show the rest of the country that they are a legitimate CFP contender. Those top 4-5 teams go out and spank their inferior opponents and tonight wvu IS inferior to Pitt. It's fine if you don't agree with me, but you have no objective proof at this time to prove what i said was wrong.