Pitt wrestling coach Keith Gavin has a message for the first-year starters stepping into the lineup for the first time: Welcome to the big time.

Pitt released its schedule on Tuesday and it ranks as one of the toughest in the nation. Gavin’s squad, which is No. 15 in Intermat’s preseason dual rankings, will wrestle a dozen meets against ranked teams, including eight against top-12 opponents.

Gavin believes such a difficult schedule will prepare his team for the postseason.

“We’ve got a tough one,” he said of the schedule. “I think that’s always the goal, to get them prepared for the end of the season. You try to cater to what’s going to help your team. We’re probably going to have a lot of new guys in the lineup this year. I wanted to get them tested for the end of the year.”

There will be plenty of opportunities for Pittsburgh-area fans to see high-profile duals, as the Panthers will host No. 4 Virginia Tech, No. 6 North Carolina State, No. 7 Arizona State, No. 12 Oklahoma State and No. 18 Illinois.

Pitt ranked 21st in attendance last year, averaging 1,318 fans per home dual over seven dates. This year’s slate will likely lead to even bigger crowds at Fitzgerald Field House.

“I think that is important,” Gavin said. “We’re in an area where people understand who’s good. Last year, we had Iowa State at home, and it was packed. We lost, but it was a great atmosphere and people are still talking about that dual. The kids that we’re recruiting, they want to wrestle the best teams. You want it to be a good environment. When we bring in a team that’s a powerhouse team, we are going to pack the stands.”

Unlike previous seasons, there are no Midlands or CKLV tournaments on the schedule, just opens at Clarion and Franklin & Marshall.

“We did a dual meet-heavy schedule,” Gavin said. “It just worked out that way. The collegiate duals are something that’s exciting that we wanted to try. And duals are more controllable. You know how many matches you’re going to get.”

Two historic rivals are noticeable by their absence. Penn State, which Pitt hasn’t faced in almost a decade, is not on the schedule, and neither is West Virginia, which upset the Panthers last season.

Gavin said he’d like to face both regularly, but he understands it’s difficult with Penn State in the Big Ten and West Virginia in the Big 12. He was a bit surprised that a dual couldn’t be worked out with the Mountaineers this season.

“I don’t know what happened there,” he said. “We owe them a home match because they came here last year. They didn’t have any open dates.”

The Panthers will continue their intrastate rivalry with Lehigh, which is coached by Pat Santoro who won NCAA titles wrestling for the Panthers in 1988 and 1989.

“I have a great relationship with Pat,” Gavin said. “It’s very easy scheduling with them. They’re always going to be good, just like we hope we’re always going to be good. It will be a good crowd there. They get good support, and we’ll get a lot of our fans going because it’s not too far.”

Gavin knows that such a challenging schedule could lead to an overall record that doesn’t look as impressive as last season’s 10-4 mark, but while he loves dual meets, he’s not as concerned with the win-loss mark in them.

“Right now, it’s about preparing for the end of the season,” he said. “If they ever end up doing a dual meet championship, then it carries more weight. It’s about getting guys ready for the nationals.”

Full schedule with Intermat tournament/dual rankings

Oct. 30 Blue vs. Gold

Nov. 5 @Clarion Open

Nov. 11 @Navy Duals (Annapolis, Md.)

vs. Navy

vs. Morgan State

vs. VMI

Nov. 19 @ Lehigh (29/24)

Nov. 20 @ Maryland (30/22)

Dec. 8 Illinois (14T/18)

Dec. 10 @Ohio State (12/7)

Dec. 18-20 @National Collegiate Duals (Nashville)

vs. Cornell (4/2)

vs. Iowa State (11/10)

vs. Arkansas Little Rock

Jan. 5 @F&M Open

Jan. 12 Oklahoma State (10/12)

Jan. 14 @Iowa State (11/10)

Jan. 21 Arizona State (7/11)

Jan. 26 NC State (9/6)

Feb. 2 @Duke

Feb. 9 @North Carolina (21/26)

Feb. 16 Virginia Tech (T2/4)

Feb. 22 Rider

Feb. 23 Virginia

March 10 ACC Championships @North Carolina

March 21-23 NCAA Championships @Kansas City, Mo.