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Abby Schnable's Pitt football chat: 11.11.25
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Abby Schnable
1:00
Hey all! Looking forward to your questions. There are lots already in the queue so I'm going to go ahead and get this started.
Jock sutherland
1:00
Which two ACC teams control their own destinies for championship game if they win out?  Pitt needs a couple of other games to go their way even if they win out correct?
Abby Schnable
1:03
Because of the remaining head-to-head matchups, Virginia and Georgia Tech are the only teams that fully control their own paths to the ACC Championship. They each play another contender (Virginia vs. Duke, Georgia Tech vs. Pitt), meaning if they win out, they’ll own the necessary head-to-head tiebreakers and secure a top-two finish outright.

Pitt, SMU, and Duke all need help — even if they win out, they’d still be relying on other results and potential multi-team tiebreakers to fall their way.
demosthenes98
1:03
So how many of the football team's last three regular-season games do you think they'll win?
Abby Schnable
1:06
I feel good about 2/3 and am especially confident about beating Miami. I think the Hurricanes have regressed a little bit and they haven't had to play in cold weather. All of their games so far have been in Florida or Texas and it gets pretty chilly in November in Pittsburgh. I'm not sure which of the others they'll win. Neither Notre Dame or Georgia Tech are impossible to beat. If I had to pick one, I'm going Pitt beats Georgia Tech and Miami. I do think they have the capabilities to win all three.
Ruffsdale_Panther
1:06
With the upcoming college game coming, Pitt in the AP and the CFP rankings, and all the national attention, I'm afraid of a big bust. Pitt being under the radar this whole seemed to fit them. What say you
Abby Schnable
1:09
This is a question I’ve been thinking about a lot, but I’d argue two of Pitt’s best performances this season came under some pretty bright lights — Mason Heintschel’s debut against Boston College, followed by the upset of then-ranked Florida State. And honestly, it’s not like they’ve been completely out of the spotlight since Heintschel took over. A lot of these guys have been waiting for a moment like this on the national stage, and I have a hard time believing they’ll just fold without a fight.
JR
1:10
Is Dez 100% ready for ND? How about Biles and other key players who have been out with injuries?
Abby Schnable
1:13
I'm not sure it's possible for Desmond Reid to be 100% healthy, but from what I've heard the team is optimistic he'll be pretty close to that. Same with the other starters. Narduzzi mentioned yesterday that they really focused on getting healthy. If I had to guess you'll see Rasheem Biles and Cruce Brookins out there. Maybe Jeff Persi and Blaine Spires too.
Tim
1:14
Hi Abby - who should Pitt fans be rooting for/against in order for the Panthers to make ACC championship game?
Abby Schnable
1:16
Pitt fans should be rooting against any of the other one-loss ACC teams: Georgia Tech, Virginia, Duke and SMU. Virginia and Duke play this weekend so at least one of them will be in the mix. It'll likely come down to Pitt vs. Georgia Tech for them to get knocked out. What's unfortunate for Pitt is the only team of this group they'll have a head-to-head with is Georgia Tech. So the safest bet for the Panthers is to hope every other team loses and they win out. Then it's a guarantee and we don't have to go to tie-breakers.
Bruce
1:18
Hi Abby, Coach Narduzzi's comments at the presser yesterday are getting all kinds of attention. I
Abby Schnable
1:20
It sure is. I get Narduzzi's point that they don't NEED to win it. The best path for Pitt to make the CFB is through the ACC Championship, however a win over ND, definitely wouldn't hurt. I think the problem with the quote was HOW he said it. The quote can come across as "this game doesn't matter" which I don't think he thinks. I almost wonder if he's trying to down play the moment. Either way, I understand Narduzzi's point, but I also see why Pitt fans are a bit disgruntled by it.
Bruce
1:22
Stephen wrote about the tie-breaker formula. It looks pretty complicated. I actually preferred divisional play over the top two teams playing in the championship game. Could divisions come back?
Abby Schnable
1:26
I'm not sure. I personally don’t think so. The ACC got rid of divisions to reward the two best teams in the conference, regardless of alignment. Not having divisions can put teams in tough spots — like Pitt right now, where there’s only one team in the mix they play head-to-head with, and either Pitt or Georgia Tech will knock the other out. Beyond that, the next tier of tie-breakers goes to common opponents, and with how large the ACC is, that gets messy fast. Maybe moving to 9 conference games will help, but honestly, it’s still a complicated system.
Bruce
1:26
I'm not disgruntled by Coach Narduzzi's comments. He tends to say what he thinks, which is kind of refreshing. And it does provide some grist for the social media mill!'
Abby Schnable
1:28
I think there's a good split between fans that are disgruntled and ones who are not. It feels like (and I could be off base) a lot of the more seasoned fans recognize his intent while some of the younger ones are up in arms. A controversial quote like that does bring more attention, which could help Pitt in the long run.
steelstu
1:28
what do you consider the strengths and the weaknesses of Blair, Dagmar, and piezel
Abby Schnable
1:30
This is a very timely question since I'm working on a piece about this! To sum it up. Blaire Bayless is the best offensive option out of the three but her back row defense can be a liability. Dagmar Mourits reminds me a lot of Valeria Vazquez Gomez. They're both efficient in the back row and add in points, too. I also love how calm Mourits is. Marina Pezelj is fairly similar to Mourits, with the exception of Marina's serve is insanely good. How quickly she grew from beginning of the season to now is very impressive. I think there's going to be a starter battle once Mourits is back.
Bruce
1:34
Switching to men's hoops for a second, any   word on Brandin Cummings?
Abby Schnable
1:35
Capel told us yesterday that he rolled his ankle at the end of practice on Sunday. We didn't get much more information than that, but he was walking around at the game last night. A "day-to-day" designation does make me feel like it's not super bad and they just opted to rest him yesterday.
Gary
1:38
Hey Abby you do a great job covering Pitt . I can’t believe narduzzi said this came pretty much doesn’t matter , it’s not acc,what say you Abby
Abby Schnable
1:39
I get what Narduzzi is saying, but I actually think this game does matter. An ACC champion gets an automatic CFP bid only if they’re among the top five highest-ranked conference champions, so a Group of Five team like JMU or South Florida could leapfrog Pitt even if Pitt wins the ACC. The Panthers don’t need to win to stay alive, but they can’t afford to get blown out if they want to protect their ranking.
PAtoNC
1:39
Does Pitt volleyball make it to the final 4 this year? Can anyone stop Nebraska?
Abby Schnable
1:43
I think Pitt could make the Final Four, but it definitely depends on who lands on their side of the bracket. I’d rather not see North Carolina, SMU, Kentucky or Texas A&M anywhere near them. What sets this team apart from last year’s is that they’re battle-tested — they’ve learned to make in-game adjustments, come back from being down two sets and fight through five-set matches.
As for Nebraska, I don't think they're unbeatable. The Huskers are on a path very similar to last year’s Pitt squad — they haven’t been truly challenged yet, and I think that could catch up with them in the later rounds.
steelstu
1:43
The problem with Narduzzi is his mouth frequently runs ahead of his brain a bit -his remark  was flippant, and embarrassing
Abby Schnable
1:44
Stephen said something similar on the podcast yesterday. I do wonder if it was somewhat of a tactic to downplay the game for the team, but I don't think it was the right way to go about that. Those players know how big it is.
LJS
1:45
When does Dagmar return to lineup?  Will she start?
Abby Schnable
1:46
I think she'll make an appearance this weekend. I'm not confident she'll play against Stanford, but I could definitely see her playing in the game with Cal. Unless she does something amazing right away, I don't see Marina Pezelj coming out of the starting lineup. Pezelj has been really consistent in the spot. Dan Fisher will have a hard job of picking his starters at OH once Dagmar is back fully in the mix, that's for sure.
Bruce
1:50
So, ESPN GameDay vs ACCN Huddle at the stadium. I like the ACCN Huddle. I think Mark Richt is good. I know GameDay is a bigger deal but too much nonsense for me.
Abby Schnable
1:51
I personally wish GameDay would've done Pitt for next week's matchup with Georgia Tech. That has way more implications for the title race and then you're highlighting two ACC teams. It's going to be very chaotic on the North Shore this weekend.
Bruce
1:54
Agree about Pitt vs Georgia Tech. I'm a little surprised by the Yellow Jackets . I think they can be had.
Abby Schnable
1:54
I don't think there's a single team left on Pitt's schedule that is unbeatable. Which is a benefit to the Panthers.
1:57
Well guys, thanks so much for hopping on. I enjoyed all your questions and I hope I was able to give you the insight you were looking for. We'll be back next week for another live chat.
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