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Pitt recently saw its matchup with Florida State scheduled for Saturday postponed due to a positive COVID-19 test within the Florida State program, and it appeared that would leave the team without plans for the weekend. However, the ACC announced on Wednesday that Pitt will face Virginia to fill the void in its schedule.
The announcement from the ACC followed the postponement of Virginia’s matchup with Louisville. That postponement was due to a positive COVID-19 test within the Louisville program, and it left Virginia free on the same day as Pitt. And as a result, the decision was made to push up a game between the Panthers and Cavaliers that was originally scheduled for Feb. 24 at 7 p.m. ET to Saturday at 4 p.m. ET.
Pitt was actually fortunate to duck Florida State when it did, as the Seminoles are ranked 20th in the nation and the Panthers are in the midst of a three-game losing streak. However, Virginia is actually ahead of Florida State in both the ACC standings and the AP Top 25, as it leads the conference with an 11-3 record and a 7-1 mark against ACC opponents and is currently ranked 14th in the nation.
As a result of the sudden schedule change, Pitt will now have to face the 16th-ranked team in the nation on Wednesday night, when it hosts Virginia Tech at the Petersen Events Center, and then head to Charlottesville to face the defending champions with only two full days to prepare for the matchup. In addition, Pitt’s game at Louisville set for Feb. 10 may also be in jeopardy, as it is seven days away and Louisville could still be unable to play at that point. But at this time, it is still scheduled.
Another piece of business handled by the ACC on Wednesday was the rescheduling of the Pitt-Georgia Tech matchup originally scheduled for Jan. 12 at 7 p.m. ET. That game will now be played on Feb. 14 at 4 p.m. ET. Georgia Tech is about on par with Pitt this season, as it has an 8-6 record and has gone 4-4 in conference. Pitt is currently 8-5 and 4-4 in the ACC, and it is in a four-way tie for seventh place in the ACC with Clemson, Georgia Tech and Syracuse.
Both of Pitt’s newly scheduled games will air before national audiences. The matchup with Virginia in Charlottesville will be shown on ESPN, and the tilt with Georgia Tech in Atlanta will air on the ACC Network.