PITTSBURGH -- Pittsburgh has advanced to eight straight bowl games, a run that is tied for 13th among all FBS teams. To maintain that level of consistency during a period of massive turnover at the head coaching position is an impressive feat, but walk around the team's facility and it's clear that making bowl games is not enough to consider a season a success these days in the Steel City.
There are title trophies, displays honoring All-Americans and NFL success, and especially Tony Dorsett's Heisman Trophy reminding those who enter that there's a standard of excellence current Panthers must now match.
Coming off an eight-win campaign in Pat Narduzzi's first season, Pitt has to be considered a contender to win the ACC's Coastal Division title and thus a challenger to Clemson and Florida State in the league title race. Step in the facility and talk with Pitt's coaches and players and two things will be clear to you: an investment has been made in the program, and the talent is in place for Pitt to "flip the switch" this fall.
The investments
Pitt benefits from an just by sharing its football facility with the Pittsburgh Steelers, but it wasn't until Narduzzi's hire that a new $4 million investment was made on the Panthers' side of the complex. Things were good enough, but a team meeting room with removable chairs and a partition down the middle didn't scream championship-caliber. The locker room was nice, but now players suit up in a state-of-the-art space with glowing screens illuminating names, numbers and future opponents.
For Narduzzi, knowing that Pittsburgh -- with its new athletic director and leadership -- would be willing to make that kind of investment was a deal-maker.
"This was the right fit," Narduzzi said of his decision to leave Michigan State, where he had become one of the country's most successful defensive coordinators. "We had to have the right commitment. As a football coach, you can't do it all by yourself. We finally got the commitment to put in some things, spend some money and get to where we need to be in the ACC.
"It ain't about the money; I turned down the money four years ago. We got a lot of energy here. That's why our kids are excited about it."
Players, coaches and staff all mention that changes to the facility have made a major difference. But sixth-year senior Ejuan Price sees something else, a change in the aura around the team thanks to their new energetic coach.
"When you get the right people at the helm, everybody just works at a different level. I think we've got the right people at the helm right now and everybody's on a positive kick," Price explained. "Everybody's up and at 'em, and I can't say it was always like that. When I see that we've got good people calling the shots, it's like an aura, it just vibes around everybody."
The talent
It would be a crime not to start with James Conner. Everyone around the program is hoping for a full recovery for Conner after the star running back recently completed his final chemotherapy treatment. If the 2014 ACC Player of the Year (profiled here for his unique connection to Narduzzi) returns to the field at all in the fall, it's a huge win for him and obviously a massive help for Pitt's chances of winning an ACC title.
But based on spring practice and what we know of the team heading into 2016, four names come to mind as players who will play a key role in the program's ACC title chase.
Jordan Whitehead, sophomore safety: Whitehead has been the best athlete among his peers since he was a child, playing football, basketball and baseball as a youngster and even suiting up on both offense and defense in high school. Whitehead is expected to be in the mix a little on offense for Pitt this year, which pleases the former top-rated prospect in Pennsylvania since he said "it keeps you into the game to contribute on both sides of the ball." Whitehead was named the ACC's Defensive and overall Rookie of the Year in 2015. He's just getting started.
Qadree Ollison, sophomore running back: Ollison was thrust into the role of a feature back after Conner's season-ending knee injury early in 2015 and responded with production that resulted in ACC Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. Though he's already got the hardware, Ollison faces tough competition in the backfield with Conner potentially back, Rachid Ibrahim returning from injury, fellow sophomore Darrin Hall looking to make an impact and true freshman Chawntez Moss getting a jump start on his classmates by enrolling early and drawing the praise of Pitt's coaches.
Ollison, the player who had the nickname "One-Touch" as a record-setting youth football star in Niagara Falls, New York (a nickname that still sticks with friends from home), welcomes the challenge of tough coaching and thinks that Matt Canada's offense will give everyone a chance to to contribute.
Dorian Johnson, senior offensive guard: For my money, Johnson could be one of the best offensive lineman in the ACC next season. He has 27 consecutive starts under his belt and has improved by leaps and bounds since having to face former Georgia Tech speed rusher Jeremiah Attaochu in his first career start -- on the road in front of 60,0000 fans in Bobby Dodd Stadium. Johnson had never played before crowds like that growing up. He grew up about 30 minutes outside of Pittsburgh -- as a fan of former Pitt linebacker H.B. Blades -- but he's used to them now and says the Panthers offensive line could go 10-deep with players ready for Saturday in the fall.
Ejuan Price, senior defensive lineman: The sixth-year senior was granted an extra year of eligibility due to injuries that kept him out of all but six games over a three-year span. Price responded in 2015 with an All-ACC performance and returned for another year with plans of making it to the league. Call him "Juan" and look for him to challenge for the sack title in the ACC after falling one short of Clemson's Shaq Lawson in 2015 with 11.5.
Flipping the switch
Narduzzi will tell you that the few plays from 2015 who prevented Pitt from competing for a conference title -- conference losses to Miami and North Carolina each came by a touchdown or less -- are the kind of stuff that keeps a coach up at night. He's managed to maintain a positive energy around the program, using those mistakes as building blocks for a team that needs just a little bit more juice and little bit more luck to turn another good Pitt season into something historically great for the program.
One of the first hires that Narduzzi made was Dave Andrews as strength and conditioning coach. The two didn't have a long history, but Narduzzi has known for a while that Andrews, the czar of "Club Andrews" in the Pitt weight room facility, was the kind of guy who could both manage a roster full of raw talent and transform it into power-conference consuming monsters.
Putting money into the facilities and making the right hires will only take Pitt so far. At some point, the onus is on the players.
"I feel like everybody's there physically. Coach Andrews and his staff have done a good jobs of getting us there physically. I think we just need to flip the switch mentally, put it in our minds that we can win the ACC Championship," Johnson told CBS Sports.
The 2016 schedule leaves little room for error for this Pitt team.
Nate Peterman has taken command of the offense, but if injuries strike at the quarterback position, the offense may have to rely on those talented backs and offensive lineman to carry the team when it comes to moving the ball and sustaining offense. It'll take some injury luck, something Pitt hasn't been blessed with recently, to keep the Panthers in the the mix for any championships, especially with a date against Clemson in Death Valley, a game at Oklahoma State and the renewal of the Penn State rivalry in early September at Heinz Field.
The hype is tremendous among the local diehards. If Pitt can contend for an ACC title and knock off even one of the two non-conference Power Five foes (Oklahoma State and Penn State on a beefed up schedule) it will be a credit to Narduzzi.
Whitehead, however, will tell you it's not the work done in the season but something that's started from day one since he was hired.
"Outsiders just think, since Pitt used to be at the top, they're expecting things so soon -- Coach Narduzzi come[s] in and we'll be great. But a lot comes with that, player and coach chemistry," the safety explained.
"I think Coach Narduzzi is at it every day, getting that chemistry down with every player. I think that's a big key in winning a championship in any sport. Right now, I feel like we're getting that. During the season, the chemistry that we're working on now is going to [make] that much of a difference in [advancing to] the ACC Championship."
