Planning ahead
PITT’s 2019 football schedule is out. The Panthers open vs. Virginia.
The defense of Pitt’s ACC Coastal Division title will begin in earnest in August.
For the first time since their inaugural ACC football game, the Panthers open their season with conference play.
Like their 2013 debut against Florida State, they will play host to a league opponent, with Virginia coming to town Aug. 31 for Week 1.
Nearly half the conference is doing the same, in conjunction with the launch of the new ACC Network linear channel.
Pitt originally scheduled Football Championship Subdivision’s Delaware for the season opener but moved that game to accommodate the league’s big kickoff weekend.
The ACC released its full conference schedule Wednesday, and other highlights for Pitt include its Oct. 26 home game against Miami, Nov. 23 trip to Virginia Tech and regular season-ending matchup Nov. 30 with Boston College, which never has visited Heinz Field in the ACC and hasn’t faced Pitt since 2014.
With Virginia up first, the Panthers will need to hit the ground running under new offensive coordinator Mark Whipple. The Cavaliers finished 8-5 thanks to a 28-0 rout of South Carolina in the Belk Bowl.
But while Virginia presents a challenging opponent, beginning 2019 with a high-profile game at Heinz Field could give Pitt plenty of positive exposure, too.
Coach Pat Narduzzi
might not love jumping right into such a pivotal test so early, but for fans, it’s an exciting way to start the season.
“We always talk with the schools before scheduling games,” ACC commissioner John Swofford said in late November. “The thing that has been really good from our schools is they’re all in on the network, and you have to have it that way if you want to have your own 24/7 network with a partner like ESPN. “
After facing Ohio, Penn State (away) and Central Florida, the Panthers hop back into ACC action Oct. 5 at Duke, meaning they’ll play three home games in September and won’t leave Pennsylvania until Week 6. Their conference road opener is followed by the first of two off weeks, a new scheduling quirk this year in college football.