Pat Narduzzi has spent years telling anyone who would listen that he does not give a damn about national rankings. But on Friday night in Blacksburg, after his team bagged its fifth straight win to start the season, the $7 million head coach changed his tune real fast. Standing on the Lane Stadium turf after a wild 35-33 thriller over Virginia Tech, Narduzzi looked straight into the ESPN camera and fired a direct shot at the Associated Press voters who keep ignoring his team.

Both teams walked into Week 5 sitting on spotless 4-0 records, yet neither could get any love from the Top 25 voters. Virginia Tech was sitting way back at No. 30 in the latest poll with just 11 votes, while Pitt was stuck at No. 32. For Narduzzi, who’s on a payroll of over $7M annually, watching his undefeated squad get treated like an afterthought was the final straw.

“We got a hell of a football team,” Narduzzi was seen saying in an X video clip of his post-game interview. “Now, any of those voters out there, if they wake their a– up, they might figure that out. And I’ll tell you what, we beat a damn good football team in Virginia Tech. I can’t say enough. We got four turnovers defensively. Offense made plays when they needed to, and we got that dub!”

Narduzzi’s frustration is not just about one poll. It is about an ongoing national narrative that treats the ACC like a second-class conference compared to the SEC or Big Ten. While four-win teams from bigger leagues easily grab poll spots based on brand name alone, ACC programs are constantly forced to prove themselves twice over just to sniff the top 25. For an undefeated team playing in a power conference, sitting behind multi-loss media favorites feels less like an oversight and more like outright disrespect.

Though the Panthers’ head coach was all fired up about the win, Pittsburgh did not dominate the night from the start. The Hokies went up 14-0 in the first five minutes, and Pitt ended up outgained 499-295 in total yards. But the Panthers settled in, scored 21 straight and took a 35-24 lead early in the fourth quarter.

Virginia Tech’s turnovers helped fuel that run, with Pitt turning them into 14 points. A safety and a 28-yard touchdown pass then cut the deficit to two, but Pitt’s defense held from there. The Hokies still managed to drive 62 yards and set up one final kick.

That kick is why this game stung Virginia Tech in Blacksburg; John Love, 6-for-6 on the year, lined up from the right hash with three seconds left. He started celebrating while the fans in the end zone were also roaring for the Hokies’ win, but the officials under the upright ruled it wide left. The ball appeared to go over the top of the post, which meant a review was not permitted. Narduzzi said he couldn’t tell from his angle, but stated that “it was NO GOOD, I can tell you that.”

“Our guys rode the wave and never gave in. They never batted an eye. They believed until the end,” Narduzzi said. “Faith and belief, that’s what this football team’s got. They’ve got a lot of guts in that locker room.”

Narduzzi did not blindly praise his team or bring up the positives of a win against Virginia Tech, as he believed that his team “played average” and “the details weren’t good enough”. The Panthers lost defensive starters, messed a snap on a fake field goal, and came up short on a fourth-and-one. They also let an 11-point lead shrink to two before holding on.

At 5-0, Pittsburgh is now just one win away from clinching bowl eligibility before mid-October. More importantly, this road win completely changes their season arc. If the Panthers can clean up their mistakes, an unblemished conference record keeps them squarely in the ACC title race and opens up a legitimate path toward a 12-team College Football Playoff spot.

But Narduzzi knows the real test begins now, especially with memories of 2024 still fresh, when a strong start completely fizzled out once the heart of the schedule hit. During that season, the Panthers started on a strong 7-0 run, only to lose six straight games afterward.

Pittsburgh’s Mason Heintschel injury adds additional concern after Virginia Tech win

For the Panthers, the bigger worry coming out of the game is quarterback Mason Heintschel. Pittsburgh’s QB took a shot to the knee on the first drive of the second half and left on crutches.

Backup QB Holden Geriner came in and went 8-of-12 for 78 yards and a touchdown. Pitt ran it six straight times to start his first drive, picked up 54 yards, and scored.

“My thoughts and prayers are with Mason,” Geriner said. “If that’s the case, I’m going to do everything I can to continue preparing.”

Even Hokies’ head coach James Franklin praised the Panthers’ defense for being an experienced and tough unit, and for making proper adjustments in the second half of the game.

With the Panthers set to play against North Carolina and Bill Belichick at home on October 10, Pittsburgh cannot repeat the same mistakes that made them look average in their Week 5 win.