The Week Ahead: Looking for separation

With the loss to Syracuse, Pitt now stands at 4-1 in the ACC and is tied with Clemson and has Maryland hot on their heels with a 3-2 record in the league. The Panthers will look to stay close to the top of their new conference, while creating a multiple game lead over the rest of the pack. They would like to avoid the log-jam that is happening after the Syracuse loss.

The week will begin tomorrow with the sweet surroundings of The Pete. Clemson will travel north to face the Panthers for the first time in ACC play and the Tigers bring in a solid 13-4 record overall and 4-1 mark in the ACC. Clemson has not played a ton of stiff competition so far, but they do hold an impressive victory over Duke, which is always a quality win. The game will tip off at 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday and it will be on WTAE locally and ESPN3.

From there, the Panthers will face their first ACC rematch of their short conference history when they travel down south a few hours. It is always tough to travel to Maryland for a game and Pitt will find out firsthand just how much, while the Terps will be looking for a little revenge after a crushing 20-point loss earlier in the year at The Pete. The rematch will take place on Saturday at 6:00 p.m. and you can catch the game on ESPN2.

Can Pitt get a little comfortable in the ACC with two big wins this coming week? It sure would go a long way, as some of this year's big boys lurk in the following week with Duke and Virginia on the horizon.

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