A five-game win streak proved insufficient to get Pitt into the most recent AP Top 25 or coaches poll, but the College Football Playoff selection committee viewed the Panthers in a more positive light.
In the first CFP rankings of the season Tuesday evening, Pitt came in at No. 24. The Panthers (7-2, 5-1 ACC) are in third place in the ACC.
Fellow ACC squads appearing in the first CFP rankings were Miami (No. 18), Georgia Tech (No. 17), Louisville (No. 15) and Virginia (No. 14).
Four more releases will follow every Tuesday through Dec. 2, with the CFP field officially announced Dec. 7.
This season marks Year 2 of the CFP’s 12-team field. The top-four ranked teams will receive a first-round bye, with Nos. 5-12 facing off in the first round.
From there, the playoff quarterfinals and semifinals move from the campus of the higher-ranked seed to six bowls: the Cotton Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, Orange Bowl, Peach Bowl, Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl.
The CFP National Championship will be Jan. 19 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.
Tuesday’s release means Pitt will go into its Nov. 15 home game vs. No. 10 Notre Dame as a ranked squad.
That contest will be televised nationally by either ESPN or ABC, with a noon kickoff from Acrisure Stadium.
Pitt is on a bye this week while the Fighting Irish host Navy on Saturday.
