In the age of the transfer portal and NIL, it’s rare to see a college football team enter a non-playoff bowl game with a mostly intact roster, but that’s exactly

Pittsburgh will top off a roller-coaster season against East Carolina in the Military Bowl on Sunday. The Panthers rode a monster offense to a solid 8-4 season, giving Pat Narduzzi his sixth 8-win season as the team’s head coach. With a fairly tough schedule, Pitt averaged 32.7 points per game, which ranked 17th in the country.

The first of eight games on the Saturday college football bowl schedule sees 8-4 teams squaring off in the Go Bowling Military Bowl 2025. It has the Pittsburgh Panthers facing the East Carolina Pirates as the teams have a rubber match with their all-time series at 2-2.

PITTSBURGH — The Pitt Panthers were selected to face East Carolina in the Go Bowling Military Bowl over the weekend. This game will allow Pitt the opportunity to have a nine-win season for the first time since 2022 and just the fifth time this century.

The day is Nov. 8, 2018, and the 6-2 Carolina Panthers are on the road to meet with the 5-2-1 Pittsburgh Steelers for a Thursday night matchup. But the prime-time showcase went awry, particularly when linebacker T.J. Watt went unblocked and slammed into the right shoulder of Panthers quarterback Cam Newton right before the half.

East Carolina football is back in the Military Bowl for the second consecutive year. This season, the Pirates (8-4) will take on the Pitt Panthers on Saturday, Dec. 27, kicking off at 11 a.m. ET on ESPN.

Pitt’s offense will look significantly different come 2026, but one key player will be back, with running back Ja’Kyrian Turner reportedly set to return next year.

Defensive coordinator Randy Bates will retire from coaching following the Panthers’ appearance in the Military Bowl tomorrow, concluding a distinguished coaching career that has spanned more than four decades.

With East Carolina missing key personnel at the QB position and on the sidelines, our expert Military Bowl predictions expect the Pitt Panthers to cruise to victory.