Goin' Back to B-Ham
The Panthers accepted a bid to the bowl tonight. They will play Ole Miss at Legion Field Jan. 5 at noon. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.
Pitt beat South Florida Saturday night to earn its sixth win and achieve bowl eligibility for the fifth consecutive season.
“We’ve been given a great opportunity to play a quality program like Ole Miss,” first-year Pitt head coach Paul Chryst said. “I know they finished the season strong and looked impressive in winning the Egg Bowl against Mississippi State. We are appreciative of the City of Birmingham and the BBVA Compass Bowl for giving us the chance to play one more game this season.”
Last year, the Panthers lost to SMU 28-6 in the BBVA Compass Bowl. They beat Kentucky 27-10 in the game two years ago. Pitt and Ole Miss have never played before.
“As we move another step closer to our future in the Atlantic Coast Conference, we are thrilled to be matched with Mississippi of the Southeastern Conference,” Pitt athletic director Steve Pederson said. “While it is unusual to play in the same bowl three years in a row, we are excited to be facing a traditional program like Ole Miss. This game is held in a great football city and our hosts have already discussed giving our team some different experiences on this trip. We are proud of how our team finished the regular season and we’re excited they can play one more game together.”
Some fans were hopeful today that the Pinstripe Bowl could set up a Backyard Brawl rematch between Pitt and West Virginia, but the game opted to select Syracuse as its Big East representative to face the Mountaineers.