One of just two games between ranked teams on the Week 10 schedule happens to also be one of the pivot points in the ACC title race as No. 18 Pitt travels to No. 20 SMU.
Pitt is off to a 7-0 start, the program’s first since 1982, with a 3-0 mark in ACC play following a thunderous 41-13 win over Syracuse last Thursday night. The Panthers defense picked off Kyle McCord five times and returned three of those interceptions for touchdowns in a runaway win that now has Pat Narduzzi’s squad in thick of the ACC title hunt. Narduzzi led Pitt to a runner-up finish in 2018 and the Panthers won the ACC outright in 2021. As one of four teams with an undefeated conference record heaving into November, Pitt holds the key to the race with two games against other top contenders — the first being SMU. BetMGM currently gives Pitt +1100 betting odds to win the conference, behind only Miami (+110), Clemson (+130) and SMU (+630).
Rhett Lashlee’s Mustangs were positioned as a possible threat to the likes of a Clemson or Miami back in the offseason, but some early offensive struggles and a loss to BYU cast some doubt on the team’s title hopes. Now, the BYU loss doesn’t look so bad and a quarterback change has sparked the SMU’s offense during a five-game winning streak that has seen the Mustangs average 42 points per game. Getting to 7-1 wasn’t easy, though, with results including a one-score win at Louisville and last week’s overtime epic at Duke. SMU blocked the Blue Devils’ attempt at a game-winning field goal in regulation then got a 2-point conversion stop in overtime to seal the 28-27 win.
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