Pat Narduzzi, the unfiltered Pittsburgh coach, isn’t holding back anymore, calling out AP Top 25 voters to “wake your (butts) up” after his Panthers clawed their way to a 5-0 start. He laid into the media right after Pitt fended off Virginia Tech on the road Friday night, a game that came down to a missed 36-yard field goal as time expired. Narduzzi, who is the longest-tenured coach in Pitt history, told commissioner Jim Phillips he would do it, and he absolutely delivered.
Narduzzi: “It’s Disrespectful to the ACC”
This wasn’t just Narduzzi stumping for his Panthers, who did sneak in at No. 25 when the latest poll dropped on Sunday. Nah, this dude is fighting for the entire conference. He pointed out the wild stat that before their showdown with the Hokies, it was the first time two Power Four programs entered a game with identical 4-0 records and neither was ranked. You read that right, NOBODY ranked either team, despite both being undefeated. “It’s disrespectful to the ACC,” Narduzzi flat out said on Monday. He’s clearly had enough of the ACC being treated like a punching bag in the polls and everywhere else. You can feel the man’s frustration, and honestly, who can blame him?
The “Brand” Problem and ACC’s Uphill Climb
Narduzzi’s got a theory about why the ACC keeps getting overlooked: “I think it’s all the brands.” He’s pretty clearly talking about the Big Ten and SEC, saying “Everybody wants to look at the logo and gets all infatuated with logos and all that stuff.” And the numbers back up his frustration, big time. This week, the Big Ten has six teams ranked. The SEC? A whopping nine. And the ACC? Just three: No. 4 Miami, No. 24 SMU, and his own Pitt Panthers at No. 25. He admits he’s trying to have it both ways, saying early season polls don’t matter in September. But now that he’s 60, he’s probably got a better perspective on what actually matters and what doesn’t. And right now, getting respect for his conference is clearly a priority.
Narduzzi even threw some shade at an unnamed program that had a number next to its name earlier in the season, a number that has since vanished. “I mean, you look at the school down the road gets into the Top 25, and what did they really do to get into the Top 25?” he quipped. He just laughed when asked who he meant, but both West Virginia and Penn State fit the bill. Penn State, under first-year coach Matt Campbell, started No. 18, rose after three “uneventful wins against lesser competition,” then dropped out after two conference losses. Ouch, honeymoon over. West Virginia had a quick cameo in the Top 25 after throttling Virginia on September 18, only to have its defense completely fall apart in back-to-back weeks. Meanwhile, Pitt is 5-0 and just barely scraping by into the Top 25. The Panthers will also have to play the rest of the season without their quarterback Mason Heintschel, who tore the ACL in his right knee during the third quarter against the Hokies. It’s a tough blow for a team trying to prove a point. The season is still early, and narratives can change, but the ACC’s fight for respect is clearly far from over.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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