The Countdown: 4 Days until the ACC

In just four short days, the Pittsburgh Panthers will be official members of the ACC. While many fans are excited over this move for a number of reasons, I am most excited about two additional years of new content for the Cardiac Hill Roadshow. For those of you new to the site, the Roadshow is a running series of often humorous, sometimes informative posts detailing the travel to Pitt road football games with the assistance of bloggers from the opposing team.

While the full Roadshow posts will show up in the week leading to the games, here is a brief rundown of the four road trips I am most excited for during Pitt's first season in the ACC, including both football and basketball.

Football @ Virginia Tech

Last Game in Blacksburg, VA:
November 2, 2002 - PItt 28, Virginia Tech 21

Alas, we meet again as conference opponents. To many, Blacksburg is know as one of the better football environments in the ACC. To Virginia alum, it is known as the safety school of the state. This season, Paul Chryst will continue to channel his inner-Walt Harris and attempt to make it five consecutive wins over the Hokies.

Things to do: Just an hour outside of The-Middle-Of-Nowhere, VA is Foamhenge...an astrologically accurate recreation of Stonehenge made with Styrofoam. No further detail is necessary to make you want to see this.

Football @ Georgia Tech

Last Game in Atlanta, GA:
September 18, 1976 - Pitt 42, Georgia Tech 14

Playing in Atlanta = winning the national championship. It held true the last time these two teams met there, I'm positive it will happen again.

Things to do: The World of Coca-Cola! Take a two-hour tour of the 100,000 sqft. museum and maybe you will know the answer to why they thought that the "new formula" was a good idea.

Basketball @ North Carolina

Last Game in Chapel Hill, NC:
November 29, 1996 - UNC 82, Pitt 61

The last time the Panthers played in Chapel Hill, most of Pitt's incoming freshman class was not yet born. Chapel Hill is a beautiful town with a fantastic campus, making this trip a no-brainer.

Things to do: Rated one of the best barbecue restaurants in the world, Allen & Son is just down the street. When you go there, just remember...barbecue is a noun, not a verb.

Basketball @ Maryland

Last Game in College Park, MD:
January 12, 1980 - Maryland 95, Pitt 88

As Pitt's closest ACC opponent, the Terps had to make the list. You might as well make this trip while Maryland is still on the schedule...before replacing the Panthers with the Nittany Lions as part of their Big Ten schedule.

Things to do: Just 10 miles from campus is Birch and Barley, a restaurant that offers 50 drafts and 550+ bottles of craft beer. I don't care if you like the feel of the beer spinning through it's vortex neck, if you go here and order a Miller Lite, we are no longer friends.