College Football

2024 Pitt football predictions: Ranked No. 91 by RJ Young

Updated Aug. 12, 2024 10:26 a.m. ET

FOX Sports National College Football Analyst

Pittsburgh Panthers Ranking: 91/134

[Check out RJ Young's ultimate 134 college football rankings here]

Conference ranking: 16th in ACC (+15000 to win conference)
Teams ahead of them: Air Force (90), Virginia (89), Purdue (88), Illinois (87), Wake Forest (86)
Teams behind them: Georgia State (92), Washington State (93), Bowling Green (94), Northern Illinois (95), Colorado State (96)

[Pitt 2024 schedule]

RJ's take: After an 11-win season in 2021 and a nine-win campaign in 2022, the wheels came off the Panthers' Plymouth Prowler with a 3-9 2023 season — their most losses in a season since 1998. Head coach Pat Narduzzi went to Western Carolina to get Kade Bell to run his offense to light up the scoreboard.

At the FCS level, Bell fielded a 2023 offense that put up 321.1 passing yards, 504.1 total yards, and 37.5 points per game. In 52 games as an offensive coordinator, Bell's offenses have put up 500 yards or more 31 times.

Bell brought Desmond Reid Jr. with him from Western Carolina. The 5-foot-8, 175-pound running back rushed for 897 yards and 13 touchdowns in just eight games last season. Former Alabama QB Eli Holstein figures to be competing for the starting job and could be the ACC's breakout player of the year if he simply runs Bell's offense. Expect the Panthers to move the ball in 2024.

Pittsburgh Win Total Odds: Over 5.5 (+100) Under 5.5 (-120)

[Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily.]