Pitt again avoids Florida State and Clemson on their football schedule and, according to Athlon, the Panthers have one of the easiest slates in the ACC.

Athlon has the Panthers' schedule at 12th of the 14 teams in the conference:

Facing Notre Dame and Iowa in the non-conference isn't easy but the rest of the schedule sets up nicely for Pitt. There is no Florida State, Clemson or NC State on the schedule and road trips include visits to Syracuse and Duke. Two huge games in the division with Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech will come on the road but the schedule overall sets up for Pat Narduzzi's first romp through a wide-open ACC.

In case you needed a refresher, things could certainly be worse. That said, Pitt's schedule does have some significant hurdles.

For starters, there's Notre Dame. It doesn't really matter when you play the Irish - they're generally going to pose a difficult matchup. Also in the non-conference there's a difficult road game against Iowa. And no, I'm not going to make the obvious comment about the Panthers losing to both Akron and Youngstown State in recent memory.

In the ACC, Pitt does indeed miss the Seminoles and Tigers again this year, but road games against Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech will be stiff tests. And while Louisville and Miami may be slightly down (and Pitt gets those games at home), to close out the season with those two teams isn't an easy task, either.

By comparison, though, Pitt's schedule could certainly be worse.

Be sure to join Cardiac Hill's Facebook page and follow us on Twitter @PittPantherBlog for our regular updates on Pitt athletics. Follow the author and founder/editor @AnsonWhaley.