Pitt needed a win in the ACC championship game to earn a spot in a New Year’s Six bowl, and it held up its end of the bargain, defeating Wake Forest 45-21 for the ACC title on Saturday. As a result, the team was rewarded on Sunday with a berth in the Peach Bowl, and it drew Michigan State as an opponent.
Despite its 11-2 record and status as the champion of the ACC, Pitt will enter the matchup as the lower-ranked team, as the College Football Playoff committee ranked Pitt No. 12 and Michigan State No. 10.