Pitt joins group of 5 ACC schools ranked in preseason coaches' poll

Pitt’s inclusion in the USA Today Sports/American Football Coaches Association Preseason Top 25 poll is not surprising.

The Panthers are No. 16 — their highest preseason ranking in that poll since 2010 — after returning a plethora of starters from a team that finished 11-3 and was ranked No. 13 in the final 2021 poll.

What is more significant is how the ACC is represented by five schools, second only to the SEC’s six. Three of the SEC’s group are ranked lower than all five ACC teams.

The five ACC schools are No. 4 Clemson, No. 13 N.C. State, No. 16 Pitt, No. 17 Miami and No. 19 Wake Forest. The SEC’s ranked teams are No. 1 Alabama, No. 3 Georgia, No. 7 Texas A&M, No. 21 Kentucky, No. 23 Arkansas and No. 24 Ole Miss.

The conference breakdown: After the SEC and ACC compose 44% of the rankings, there are four each from the Big Ten and Big 12, three from the Pac-12 and two from the AAC. Independent Notre Dame is ranked No. 5.

There are 65 head coaches who vote in this year’s poll, including Pitt’s Pat Narduzzi, Penn State’s James Franklin and West Virginia’s Neal Brown.

The poll was released while Pitt was concluding its Monday practice, so it wasn’t a topic of Narduzzi’s pre-practice chat with reporters. Inquiries made to offensive tackle Branson Taylor and running back C’Bo Flemister indicated both players have more important matters on their mind.

Pitt is No. 16 in the preseason coaches poll, but it doesn’t even make a dent in RB C’Bo Flemister’s thought process. pic.twitter.com/NmzZduroqZ

— Jerry DiPaola (@JDiPaola_Trib) August 8, 2022

“That’s great. That’s a real good number to hear,” Taylor said, “but we’re more worried about what our ranking is at the end of the year.”

Flemister, a transfer from Notre Dame, said it meant little to him as a member of the Irish, and nothing has changed at Pitt.

“It doesn’t mean too much to me.” he said. “We’re trying to be 1-0 every week. (At Notre Dame), we worried about being 1-0 every week, and that’s the mentality I’ll keep moving forward.”

The Panthers play only one team ranked in the Top 25 — No. 17 Miami in the final regular-season game Nov. 26 — but that doesn’t mean Pitt has an easy schedule.

The 2021 preseason coaches’ poll was not a reliable guide to how that season evolved. There were 12 schools unranked in the preseason that found their way into the final poll, including No. 3 Michigan, No. 6 Baylor, No. 8 Michigan State, No. 12 Utah and No. 13 Pitt.

The Associated Press’ preseason poll will be released next Monday.

Pitt OT Branson Taylor said 16 is “a real good number to hear,” but he’s more interested in his team’s postseason ranking. pic.twitter.com/XjFokHp9Zl

— Jerry DiPaola (@JDiPaola_Trib) August 8, 2022