Pat Narduzzi might have been handed a good opportunity Thursday morning.
That's when Pitt's 2021 football schedule was released by the ACC, finalizing when the Panthers would play opponents that had already been determined. Outside of its four non-conference opponents, Pitt wasn't sure the sequence of its ACC opposition. The reveal might have bought the Panthers time to find their identity.
Starting with two games on the road in the ACC could be challenging, but considering the opponents it could also be the best way to end the first half of the 12-game season:
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— Pitt Football (@Pitt_FB) January 28, 2021
Beating Georgia Tech on the road is something Pitt has grown accustomed to in recent seasons, and this marks the third consecutive year of having to travel to Atlanta to face the Yellow Jackets. The Panthers have won three straight over Georgia Tech and five of the last six.
Virginia Tech is a different story as the programs have traded wins for the past four seasons with Pitt coming off a big win on senior day in 2020.
The Panthers' schedule opens with Massachusetts, Tennessee, Western Michigan and New Hampshire and affords them time to find their identity. A lone September road game vs. Tennessee on Sept. 11 will make for an interesting challenge as the Volunteers figure out who they are under new head coach Josh Heupel.
Pitt's defense will be missing obviously important players with consensus All-Americans Patrick Jones and Rashad Weaver gone to the NFL, as well as key role players like Damar Hamlin and D.J. Turner.
But these would be the games for Pitt to figure out who its best assets could be for 2021 and beyond. Vincent Davis and the Panthers' ground game could finally bring balance to an offense and build off his 247-yard rushing performance at Georgia Tech that closed out 2020. The defense could get into a rhythm with the return of linebacker Wendell Davis and improvement from defensive linemen Deslin Alexandre and Kalijah Cancey.
And, of course, having Kenny Pickett back could be the stabilizing factor that keeps the offense going when things don't click early on. He'll also have Jordan Addison, Taysir Mack, Jared Wayne, and Tre Tipton.
But after the season's first half, things will get real fast for the Panthers.
Even without Trevor Lawrence, Clemson remains a powerhouse and a massive challenge in an Oct. 23 ACC home opener. That's followed by Miami, which Pitt hasn't beaten since Kenny Pickett's first win as a starter in 2017.
After that comes the ACC games that usually define Pitt's season. In 2020, Pitt beat every opponent that finished below it in the ACC standings and lost to every opponent that finished with a better record.
Those last four games against Duke, North Carolina, Virginia and Syracuse are the ones that could see Narduzzi's program finally get the elusive nine-win season that Pitt hasn't had since 2010, or remain stagnant and fail to take a step up.
What may have given Pitt a break is the way those early games are set up to give Pitt time to build momentum. If Pitt finally manages to win the games its expected to, Narduzzi could build off the resurgent finish to 2020 and the strong recruiting offseason to show he's got the program headed in the right direction.