When the Panthers first joined the ACC in 2013, the conference was coming off another bad football season. The league was swept by the SEC during Rivalry Week, founding member Maryland announced it was defecting to the Big Ten, and rumors of more defections were rampant.
Before the ACC could officially welcome Pitt and Syracuse, things were already starting to look up. ACC teams swept the top four conference bowls. Louisville was pegged to replace Maryland, which proved to be a slight upgrade on the gridiron. All 15 member schools signed a Grant-of-Rights contract. Life was good in Pitt’s new athletic home.