After losing their first game of the season, the Pittsburgh Panthers will take on the Boston College Eagles in an ACC matchup. Pittsburgh dropped its first game of the season 21-17 against North Carolina last weekend. It was the first game that quarterback Mason Heintschel missed after an ACL injury. Taking his place was backup quarterback Holden Geriner. Geriner has the full support of head coach Pat Narduzzi, but was unable to lead the Panthers to victory in his first start. Geriner ended the game throwing for 219 yards and two interceptions, allowing Bill Belichick to get his first win against a ranked opponent. Boston College will now host Geriner and the Panthers this weekend, as the Golden Eagles are coming off a bye weekend. Before the bye, Boston College lost back-to-back games by single digits to Virginia Tech and SMU. Head coach Bill O'Brien will be hoping that his team can find success with an extra week to prepare.
Boston College will be happy to see someone else under center besides Heintschel. The last time these teams played one another was in 2025, when Heintschel led Pittsburgh to a 48-7 win with 503 passing yards. The Eagles should really be able to benefit from the bye weekend after 53 players were reported to have the flu before their trip to Dallas to take on SMU. The most notable player to return is linebacker and Notre Dame transfer Bodie Kahoun. Kahoun is a leader on this team's defense and should be able to boost a unit that already has eight takeaways and is limiting opponents to 164.6 passing yards per game this season. Turnovers will be key in this game after Geriner had two interceptions, and running back La'Vell Wright had a fumble all in the second half against North Carolina. Geriner has had glimpses of success, but has not shown the ability to play a full game of clean football yet in his few appearances. If Geriner and Pittsburgh continue to struggle holding possession of the football, the Panthers will have a difficult time covering on the road against a Boston College team that is getting healthier.
Pitt vs Boston College prediction: Boston College +6.5 (-110) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.
