If Pat Narduzzi brings anything over to Pittsburgh from his days as defensive coordinator at Michigan State, it’ll be a newfound toughness and edge. Narduzzi had the Spartans ranked No. 8 in the nation last season in total defense, allowing only 315.8 yards per game.
The departure of former head coach Paul Chryst was rather surprising, as he seemed to have gotten an upgrade going to Wisconsin after finishing 19-19 in three seasons as the Panthers’ head coach.
In any case, assume for the Panthers to continue running their pro style offense. Chad Voytik will start his second full season as the quarterback under a second head coach, but the style of play should be similar. Voytik threw for 16 touchdowns and 7 interceptions last season, completing 61.3 percent of his passes. The Panthers also will have stud running back James Conner, who was a workhorse in registering just about 300 carries last season while rushing for 26 touchdowns.
Pittsburgh continues to have some premier matchups on their schedule since their move to the ACC. Flights to Pittsburgh can be booked through Hipmunk.com to attend any Panthers game at home or on the road, along with hotels near Heinz Field where the Panthers play their home games.
Below are some of the aforementioned upper echelon games and their average ticket prices on the secondary market, with information provided by TiqIQ.com.
Most Expensive: 11/17/2015 | Pittsburgh Panthers vs. Notre Dame | Heinz Field | Average Price: $171.57 | Get-in Price: $82
For those who didn’t know, Pittsburgh is Notre Dame’s fifth most-played opponent dating back to 1909. As one would imagine, Notre Dame has a lead in the series all time, 47-21-1, but Pittsburgh won most recently in 2013 with a 28-21 final score. The most expensive Pittsburgh Panthers tickets on the secondary market are the only game that the price is above $150. This, of course, is no surprise, as Notre Dame is synonymous with college football.
9/19/2015 | Iowa Hawkeyes vs. Pittsburgh Panthers | Kinnick Stadium | Average Price: $141.21 | Get-in Price: $45
The Panthers look for payback in their second most expensive game, traveling to Iowa to face the Hawkeyes from the Big Ten conference. Last season, Iowa defeated Pittsburgh on nearly the same date (9/20/2014) by four points at Heinz Field. Head coach Kirk Ferentz will be going into this game with a new quarterback as Jake Rudock transferred to Michigan.
11/4/2015 | Duke Blue Devils vs. Pittsburgh Panthers | Wallace Wade Stadium | Average Price: $123.21 | Get-in Price: $17
Duke has been on the rise for a better part of three seasons and has been stringing together successful seasons under head coach David Cutcliffe. Last season, the Blue Devils reached a top-25 ranking at one point during the campaign, which was the program’s first time being ranked in back-to-back seasons since 1956-57. The Blue Devils won a thriller against the Panthers last season at Heinz Field, winning 51-48 in double-overtime.
