Syracuse Football: Pittsburgh has dominated series with Orange of late

Syracuse football on Saturday will face a ranked Pittsburgh team that has controlled this series in recent years, albeit with tight contests galore.

Syracuse football and Pittsburgh will go toe to toe this Saturday afternoon from Heinz Field, with no fans in the stands, and the Panthers a huge favorite to prevail.

Pitt is now the No. 25 squad across the country in the latest Associated Press top-25 poll after destroying Austin Peay, 55-0, at home this past weekend in the Panthers’ 2020 season opener.

When Pittsburgh and the Orange take the field on Sept. 19 at noon, with the ACC Network providing television coverage, the two former Big East Conference rivals and current Atlantic Coast Conference foes will continue a long-time series that dates back to 1916, according to a press release on the Panthers’ athletics department Web site.

Pittsburgh owns the overall advantage, 40-32-3. The squads have competed against one another every year since 1955. More recently, the Panthers have captured 15 of the last 18 affairs in their series with Syracuse football.

Despite this dominance, these crews are playing close encounters of late, as six of the past eight duels have gotten decided by single digits. In 2019, Pitt got by the Orange inside the Carrier Dome, 27-20.

The ‘Cuse, which fell to then-No. 18 North Carolina, 31-6, in Chapel Hill, N.C., this past weekend in the Orange’s 2020 term opener, has struggled at Heinz Field.

The Panthers are a stellar 8-1 versus Syracuse football at Heinz Field, with the lone ‘Cuse victory there taking place in 2001, when the facility had first opened.

Since Pittsburgh and the Orange joined the ACC, the Panthers lead the series, 6-1. Overall on the road against Pitt, Syracuse football has a record of 11-23 in this series.

The last time that they played in Pittsburgh, the Panthers bested the ‘Cuse, 44-37 in overtime, on Oct. 6, 2018. Pitt has conquered Syracuse football on two occasions in a row, and the Panthers this Saturday are expected to make it three-consecutive successes versus the Orange.