For a while last season, Pittsburgh looked like it might become one of the real stories in the ACC.

The Panthers got Mason Heintschel into the lineup at quarterback, ripped off wins, climbed into the top 25, and suddenly had Notre Dame and Miami sitting there as chances to make a national statement.

It was all lined up. Then Notre Dame happened. Then Miami happened.

And just like that, Pittsburgh went from “maybe this team is dangerous” to “not quite ready yet.”

Now the question is whether that late-season reality check becomes a problem or a lesson.

Because Pitt has enough coming back to be interesting.

The Panthers just need to prove they can handle the big moments better than they did last year.

HEAD COACH:

• Pat Narduzzi, entering year 12 at Pittsburgh
• Narduzzi is 80-61 at Pitt.
• Pittsburgh went 8-5 last season and 6-2 in the ACC.
• Pitt has won 10 games only once under Narduzzi, back in 2021.
• The Panthers have averaged roughly 7-5 during Narduzzi’s tenure.

At this point, you basically know what Pat Narduzzi gives Pittsburgh.

The Panthers are going to be tough. They are going to be competitive. They are going to beat some teams they probably should not beat. They are also probably going to have a season or two where you think, “Why isn’t this more?”

That has kind of been the Narduzzi era.

Good program. Solid program. Occasionally dangerous. Not consistently elite.

The weird thing is that the ACC feels open enough now for a team like Pitt to jump up and make a run. Duke just won the league. Virginia played for the ACC title. Indiana just won a national championship in this sport.

So why not Pittsburgh?

The answer may come down to whether Heintschel takes the next step and whether this defense can be more than just decent.

Because last year’s team was close enough to get your attention.

But it was not close enough to beat the best teams on the schedule.

QUARTERBACK:

This is where the hope starts.

Mason Heintschel is back, and that changes the entire feel of Pittsburgh’s season.

He threw 16 touchdowns and eight interceptions last year as a freshman, and when he got into the lineup, the offense had life. Pitt was not perfect, but it finally had a quarterback it could build around.

That matters.

The biggest question now is whether Heintschel can go from exciting young quarterback to dependable ACC starter.

Because there were flashes.

There were also some warning signs.

When Heintschel had a clean pocket, he completed around 70% of his passes, according to PFF. That is excellent. When he was under pressure, that number dropped to around 47%.

That is not unusual. Almost every quarterback gets worse under pressure.

But if Pittsburgh wants to make a real move in the ACC, it has to keep him clean. That is where the offensive line becomes huge, and Pitt does bring back experience there.

The stranger stat is this:

Heintschel did not throw a fourth-quarter touchdown last season.

He had zero touchdowns and three interceptions in the fourth quarter.

That is weird for a quarterback who played as much as he did. It does not mean he cannot become clutch. It does not mean he is not the answer. But it is something that has to change.

If Pitt is going to beat good teams, Heintschel has to make plays late.

He was also up and down on the deep ball. On throws of 20-plus air yards, he went 14-of-38 for 433 yards, five touchdowns and four interceptions.

That tells you he can make explosive throws.

It also tells you there is some risk.

So the quarterback story is not “does Pitt have a guy?”

I think it does.

The story is whether Heintschel becomes a quarterback who can win the big ones.

THE REST OF THE OFFENSE

Pitt’s offense was pretty good last year.

The Panthers averaged 31 points per game, which ranked around 20th nationally, and put up 385 yards per game.

That is enough to win in the ACC. The problem was third down.

Pittsburgh converted only about 33% of its third downs, which ranked near the bottom of the country. That is a huge issue because it keeps the defense on the field, kills drives and forces your quarterback to be perfect on the explosive plays.

That has to improve.

The good news is the offensive line should help. Pitt brings back Ryan Baer, BJ Williams, Ryan Carretta and Kendall Stanley up front.

That is a big deal for Heintschel.

If you have a young quarterback whose numbers drop hard under pressure, the best thing you can give him is a veteran offensive line.

The run game starts with Ja’Kyrian Turner.

Turner led Pittsburgh in rushing last year with 745 yards on 140 carries and seven touchdowns. He is going to matter even more now because Pitt lost some of its running back depth, including Juelz Goff to Boise State.

Turner has to be more than just part of the offense.

He may have to become the guy who makes life easier on Heintschel.

At receiver, there is work to do.

Pitt lost its top two receivers. Raphael Williams is gone, and Kenny Johnson transferred to Texas Tech.

That leaves Cataurus Hicks as the key returning name. Hicks had 24 catches for 422 yards and four touchdowns last year, and he has 37 career catches.

Now Pitt needs more from him.

The Panthers also added Malik Knight from Western Carolina. He had 47 catches for 774 yards and seven touchdowns last season.

He caught passes from Taron Dickens, who is now in the quarterback mix at North Carolina, so he was part of a pretty explosive passing game.

The question is how quickly that translates to the ACC.

If Hicks takes a step and Knight gives Pitt a real outside weapon, this offense can be dangerous. If not, Heintschel may be doing too much with too little.

That is where the season can swing.

DEFENSE

Pittsburgh’s defense was a mixed bag.

The Panthers allowed 26 points per game. They gave up only 340 yards per game, which was actually around the top 35 nationally.

So what do you make of that?

They were not bad.

They also were not quite good enough.

Pitt forced a lot of turnovers. The Panthers took the ball away about 1.8 times per game, which ranked near the top 25 nationally. But they also gave the ball away about 1.8 times per game, so the advantage basically disappeared.

That is frustrating.

If you are going to be aggressive and create takeaways, you need the offense to reward you by not giving it right back.

The returning defensive pieces are solid.

Sean FitzSimmons and Jimmy Scott are back on the defensive line. Braylan Lovelace and Isaiah Neal are back in the second level. Cruce Brookins returns in the secondary.

Lovelace is probably the name to know. He had 141 tackles, a sack and two interceptions last season. That is a lot of production.

Pitt also added Alex Sanford from Purdue and DeMarco Ward from Memphis, and the secondary should have options with Rashon Strother, Shadarian Harrison and Shawn Lee in the mix.

There are pieces here.

The question is whether this defense can get back to feeling like a true Pat Narduzzi defense.

Because if Pitt is going to make a run, it probably cannot be a team that scores 31 points and hopes. It needs to get off the field on third down. It needs to turn those takeaways into real game-changing moments. It needs to be more than fine.

Fine gets you 8-5.

Pitt wants more than that.

SCHEDULE

The schedule gives Pittsburgh a real chance to start fast.

The Panthers open with four straight home games: Miami (Ohio), UCF, Syracuse and Bucknell.

That is a nice setup.

I am not saying UCF and Syracuse are automatic wins. They are not. But four straight at home is exactly how you want to ease into a season with a young quarterback and a team trying to build momentum.

If Pitt is good, it should come out of September feeling pretty confident.

The schedule changes quickly after that.

The Panthers play three of their next four on the road: at Virginia Tech, home against North Carolina, then at Boston College and at Miami.

The Hurricanes might be a top-five type team nationally. They are the ACC favorite. If Pittsburgh wants to prove it belongs in the top tier of the league, that is the kind of game where it has to show it.

After Miami, Pitt gets Georgia Tech and Florida State at home, with a bye mixed in there.

That is a nice break in the schedule.

Then the Panthers close at Louisville and at Cal.

That is not easy.

The Cal trip is especially interesting because nobody in the ACC wants to travel all the way to California late in the season. But if you have to make that trip, maybe the end of the year is the best time to do it. At that point, the whole season is right in front of you.

It is one more game before bowl season, or maybe before something bigger if things have gone really well.

Still, five of Pitt’s last eight games are on the road.

That matters.

The good news is there is no Notre Dame on the schedule. No West Virginia either after the Backyard Brawl got wild last year.

The schedule is not easy, but it is manageable.

If Pitt is going to make a move, the path is there.

OUTLOOK

I do not know if I am fully buying Pittsburgh as an ACC title contender.

But I am interested.

That is probably the best way to say it.

The Panthers have a quarterback with real upside. They have four offensive linemen back. They have a productive running back. They return enough defensive snaps to feel stable. And the schedule starts in a way that could let them build some early confidence.

There is a path to a good season.

But there are also questions that keep me from going all-in.

Mason Heintschel has to be better under pressure. He has to make plays in the fourth quarter. The receivers have to prove they can replace the top two guys who left. The defense has to be more consistent. And Pittsburgh has to survive a back half of the schedule that includes road games at Miami, Louisville and Cal.

That is a lot.

The best-case scenario is that Heintschel becomes one of the better quarterbacks in the ACC, Turner gives Pitt a steady run game, Hicks and Knight become reliable targets, and the defense turns those takeaways into actual wins against good teams.

If that happens, Pittsburgh can be in the mix.

The worst-case scenario is that the offense stalls on third down again, the passing game misses the departed receivers, Heintschel has too many young-quarterback moments, and the road schedule catches up with the Panthers.

My gut says Pitt is probably going to be what Pitt usually is under Narduzzi.

Tough. Competitive. Annoying. Good enough to scare people.

But if Heintschel takes a real jump, there is room for more.

Last year, Pittsburgh got close enough to make people notice.

This year, the Panthers have to prove they can stay in the conversation after the schedule gets serious.

Full disclosure: I use AI tools to format my research into an article encompassing all of the information.