Pittsburgh leads all ACC teams in ESPN's updated playoff predictor
Pittsburgh has the best chance of any ACC team to make the College Football Playoff, according to ESPN’s playoff predictor.
Per that model, the Panthers sit with a 23 percent chance of making the final four. Pittsburgh is currently 6-1 and is favored to win each of its five remaining games, according to FPI.
Pittsburgh is the only ACC team to make the playoff predictor’s most recent update. Wake Forest, who is undefeated going into Week 9, was not amongst the top 15 candidates.
Georgia, Alabama, Oklahoma, Cincinnati, Michigan and Ohio State are the leading contenders to make the playoff. Each of those teams has more than a 40 percent chance of qualifying for a semifinal game, per the model.
Pittsburgh is next in line, with Michigan State (9 percent) and Notre Dame (8 percent) trailing behind. So far, the Panthers’ only loss is to Western Michigan back in September.
If Pittsburgh wins out (including the ACC Championship Game), the playoff predictor says the Panthers have a 70 percent chance of making the College Football Playoff and an 8 percent chance of winning the national title.
Kenny Pickett’s performance has been a big reason for Pittsburgh’s success so far. He enters Week 9 firmly in the Heisman Trophy conversation, and he could soon be viewed as the frontrunner.
Pittsburgh hosts Miami on Saturday at 12 p.m. ET.