The ACC held a television special on Monday evening to reveal the conference's football schedule for the upcoming 2022 season. The opponents and some of the dates had been previously known, and Monday helped fill in the blanks for the entire league.
The Pitt football program finished the 2021 season ranked 13th in the final AP poll after compiling an 11-3 record. Pitt captured its first-ever ACC Championship along the way, and it was the best season under the watch of head coach Pat Narduzzi.
2021 was a historic season for the Pitt football program, and there are pieces in place to sustain it at least heading into next season. The 2022 Pitt football team will return 17 starters off of last year's 11-win squad and will look to defend its ACC crown.
On Monday, Pitt's 2022 schedule was finalized. The opener for the season had been locked-in for a while, but there was an adjustment made to the schedule. Pitt will open the season at home against West Virginia, in the rebirth of the storied Backyard Brawl rivalry.
The game was originally set for a Saturday, but the game will shift to a nationally televised primetime opener on ESPN. It will mark the first meeting of the Backyard Brawl since 2011. Pitt leads the all-time series 61-40-3.
Pitt will take on Tennessee in week two in the second matchup of the Johnny Majors Classic. The Panthers went into Knoxville and defeated the Volunteers last September, and Tennessee will have revenge on its mind. The Vols finished last season 7-6 and will return quarterback Hendon Hooker.
Pitt will make its first road trip of the season in week three, a September 17th showdown against Western Michigan in Kalamazoo. The Panthers have never traveled to Western Michigan, but have played MAC teams on the road in the past, most recently a 24-7 win at Akron in 2015. Pitt will be looking to avenge last year's upset loss to the Broncos.
The Panthers will conclude non-conference play on September 24th, a home game against Rhode Island of the FCS. The two teams have never met.
Pitt will open ACC play on October 1st, a home game against Georgia Tech at Heinz Field. Due to some scheduling adjustments from COVID-19, Pitt's last three games against the Yellow Jackets have been in Atlanta. Pitt has won four straight against Georgia Tech, and is 6-1 against the Yellow Jackets under Pat Narduzzi.
Pitt will play its fifth home game of the season on October 8th, a Coastal showdown against Virginia Tech. It will be a rare occurrence for Pitt to have five of its first six games at home. The Panthers and Hokies have played every season since 2012, and Pitt has won the past two meetings by a combined score of 75-21.
Pitt's bye week will come in week seven, and the Panthers will be off the October 15th weekend.
The Panthers return to action with a pair of road games in consecutive weeks: Louisville on October 22nd and North Carolina on the 29th. Pitt and Louisville will be meeting for the third time as members of the ACC, Pitt has won the first two matchups.
The trip to Chapel Hill to close out October will be a big one. The Tar Heels will be without star quarterback Sam Howell, but under Mack Brown North Carolina has elevated its recruiting and this should be a pivotal game in the ACC race.
Pitt will close the year with four games in November. Pitt will host Duke and Syracuse at Heinz Field. The Panthers will take on Syracuse on November 5th, and the two teams have met every year since 1955. Pitt has won every game but three against the Orange since 2002, including four in a row.
Pitt will travel to Virginia on November 12th. It will be a difficult game as the Cavaliers will be led by senior quarterback Brennan Armstrong, one of the top returning quarterbacks in all of college football. The Panthers outlasted Virginia last year 48-38 in a classic shootout at Heinz Field.
Pitt will close out the regular season with a trip to Miami on Saturday November 26th, the weekend of Thanksgiving. Pitt has had different opponents through the years serve as the 'rivalry game' opponent over Thanksgiving weekend, and Miami will reprise that role this season.
Pitt and Miami have generally been the two most talked about teams in the ACC Coastal early on this offseason, and it looks like the league is hoping these two teams will have a lot on the line in the final weekend of the season.
Sept. 1 (Thurs.): West Virginia
Sept. 10: Tennessee
Sept. 17: at Western Michigan
Sept. 24: Rhode Island
Oct. 1: Georgia Tech
Oct. 8: Virginia Tech
Oct. 22: at Louisville
Oct. 29: at North Carolina
Nov. 5: Syracuse
Nov. 12: at Virginia
Nov. 19: Duke
Nov. 26 : at Miami
