Pitt accepts bid to play in BBVA Compass Bowl
By Matt Shetler
Birmingham, Alabama has become the home away from home for the Pitt Panthers.
For the third consecutive season, the Panthers have accepted an invitation to play in the BBVA Compass Bowl.
Nov 09, 2012; East Hartford, CT, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers head coach Paul Chryst shakes hands with quarterback Tino Sunseri (12) before the start of the game against the Connecticut Huskies at Rentschler Field. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-US PRESSWIRE
The Panthers accepted the bid to the bowl Sunday night, where they will play Ole Miss at Legion Field at noon on Jan. 5. The game will be broadcast on ESPN. Pitt lost to SMU 28-6 in their second appearance BBVA Compass Bowl last season, but beat Kentucky 27-10 in the game two years ago.
Pitt (6-6) became bowl eligible for the fifth consecutive season with Saturday night’s 27-3 victory over South Florida.
Ole Miss finished with an identical 6-6 record and also earned bowl eligibility on Saturday by upsetting Mississippi State 41-24. Before that win, the Rebels were riding a three-game losing streak to close out the SEC season.
There was a chance that the Panthers could have renewed the Backyard Brawl rivalry with West Virginia, but the Pinstripe Bowl opted to select Syracuse as its Big East representative to face the Mountaineers.
The BBVA Compass Bowl may not seem like much, but it is big for head coach Paul Chryst to get the Panthers to a bowl in his first season on the job.