Pitt's 2026 football schedule unveiled

CBS News Pittsburgh

The University of Pittsburgh's football schedule for the 2026 season has been released.

Pitt's 12-game schedule includes nine ACC games, including two Friday night contests in October and November. 

The Panthers will open the season with four straight home games against Miami (Ohio), Central Florida, Syracuse, and Bucknell.

On Friday, October 2, Pitt will travel to Virginia Tech and face former Penn State head coach James Franklin, who has taken over the Hokies' program in Blacksburg.

The following week, Pitt will return home to host North Carolina and former Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, who will be entering his second season in the college ranks.

Pitt will then hit the road for games against Boston College and Miami (FL), who were this season's runner-up in the College Football Playoff National Championship game. 

Georgia Tech and Florida State both will come to Pittsburgh, the latter of which is also a Friday night game. 

Pitt will then wrap up its season with road games against Louisville and California. 

Kickoff times and broadcast information for all of Pitt's games will be announced at a later date.

The Panthers head into the 2026 season having finished their 2025 campaign with an overall record of 8-5 and an ACC record of 6-2.

At one point in the season, Pitt was 7-2 and won their first five games with true freshman Mason Heintschel at quarterback, who took over for Eli Holstein after back-to-back losses early in the year against West Virginia and Louisville.

Pitt quarterback Mason Heintschel celebrates after beating NC State on Oct. 25th, 2025 at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh. Mike Darnay / KDKA

Since Pitt's season ended, Holstein entered the transfer portal and transferred to Virginia.

Read more
f

We and our partners use cookies to understand how you use our site, improve your experience and serve you personalized content and advertising. Read about how we use cookies in our cookie policy and how you can control them by clicking Manage Settings. By continuing to use this site, you accept these cookies.