Pitt positioned at No. 18 in 1st College Football Playoff rankings
Despite a 48-25 loss to SMU, Pitt remains relevant nationally, listed No. 18 in the first College Football Playoff rankings released Tuesday night.
The CFP committee valued Pitt's seven-game winning streak to start the season that included victories against Power 4 conference teams Cincinnati, West Virginia, North Carolina, California and Syracuse. Pitt is 7-1 for the first time since 2009.
The Panthers are in the conversation for a berth in the 12-team playoff, but they must finish strong in their final four games to rise up the rankings. They are fourth in the ACC standings with a 3-1 league mark, behind No. 5 Miami (9-0, 5-0), No. 13 SMU (8-1, 5-0) and No. 23 Clemson (6-2, 5-1). The ACC is represented by five teams in the CFP rankings, with Louisville (6-3, 4-2) positioned at No. 22. Pitt has Clemson and Louisville among its four remaining games.
Penn State is ranked No. 6 after its first loss of the season Saturday to Ohio State, 20-13.
Pitt, which is ranked No. 23 in this week's Associated Press poll, welcomes Virginia to Acrisure Stadium on Saturday for an 8 p.m. prime time matchup.
