The ACC released the 2015 football schedule this morning. While opponents and location have been determined for awhile, the order of ACC games as well as the dates (Thursday vs. Saturday) were not known until today. As I worked through these previews, I realized that several opponents will be better in 2015, notably UNC. The first thing that jumps out to me is that four of the last five games are at home. If Narduzzi and company can get this team playing at a high level, a late season run is possible.

Here’s the schedule:

9/5: Youngstown State

Pat Narduzzi gets a chance to avoid the same start Paul Chryst had with the Penguins coming to town. New YSU head coach Bo Pelini won’t take this game lightly, it’s a chance to begin repairing his reputation.

9/12: At Akron

This is Pitt’s return trip after last year’s home game against the Zips. There’s a trend with the first three games of the season. All three are the ugliest losses of the Paul Chryst era. Hopefully Narduzzi doesn’t allow Pitt to take the Zips lightly again.

9/19: At Iowa

Back to back out of conference road games presents a challenge. Losing to Iowa last year wasn’t bad, it was HOW the loss occurred that made it ugly. It was the first game where Matt House showed that year two was not going to be demonstratably better from a coaching standpoint on defense. This certainly isn’t a lock for a win, let’s just hope if it’s a loss it isn’t a blown fourth quarter lead.

9/26: Bye Week

A perfect time for the bye week after back to back road games and before ACC games start.

10/3: At VT

The Hokies were the lone victory for Pitt amidst a rough seven game stretch. QB Michael Brewer returns, and as long as Bud Foster is coaching the defense, VT will not be an easy game. VT needs to take a step up in 2015, especially on offense, because Beamerball has lost the magic touch lately. If Beamerball couldn’t win this game, it’s time to find new ways to win.

10/10: UVA

Last year’s loss to UVA looked better on paper at the time than it ended up. Many people, myself included, thought the Cavaliers had finally stepped up to a respectable, 7ish win team in 2014. That did not come to fruition as UVA dropped six of its last seven games after beating Pitt. Make no mistake though, Pitt cannot take this team lightly as even the win in 2013 was ugly. This game will likely be homecoming with the other October games on the road or on a Thursday.

10/17: At Georgia Tech

Georgia Tech finished one of their best seasons ever last year with a great win over Mississippi State in the Orange Bowl. QB Justin Thomas returns and the Yellow Jackets have a legit shot at the ACC title again this upcoming season.

10/24: At Syracuse

The Orange have been down since Doug Marrone left for the NFL. The heat is on head coach Scott Shafer and a nother bad season could see another head coaching change in Syracuse. Cuse had one of the worst offenses in the country last season and a huge improvement is needed there.

10/29 (Thursday Night): UNC

UNC is one of two teams in the Coastal Pitt has yet to defeat (the other being Georgia Tech). Last year QB Marquise Williams tore Pitt’s defense a new one and he returns for his senior year. The Tar Heels added Gene Chizik to the staff as defensive coordinator and it’s safe to say its defense won’t be one of the worst in the nation in 2015 thanks to his addition. North Carolina has a home game against Virginia the previous Saturday, so neither team will have extra rest for the short week.

11/7: Notre Dame

When the Irish come to town it’s always a big deal and 2015 will be no different. Charlie Weis Brian Kelly’s squad disappointed last year, dropping five of their last six games before defeating LSU in the Music City Bowl. If Narduzzi’s first season goes well this game could get a lot of national attention, moreso than usual.

11/14: At Duke

Even if Pitt and Duke have the first and second ranked defenses in the country headed into this game, it’ll still probably be a shootout. The teams have combined for over 200 points in their last two games with the road team as the victor. Five years ago it’d be insane to pencil Duke in for eight or more wins but the job David Cutcliffe has done is phenomenal. Duke is a program many schools should want to emulate.

11/21: Louisville

Louisville successfully transitioned to the ACC last year with a nine win season and Bobby Petrino will unquestionably be hungry for more.  With FSU likely knocked down a peg without Jameis Winston, the Cardinals will have ACC title aspirations. Thankfully this trip to Heinz won’t have Teddy Bridgewater at QB.

11/27 (Black Friday): Miami

Miami opted to stay the course after an abysmal 6-7 season. The Hurricanes went from nearly upsetting FSU to losing four straight to close out the season. Miami will be out for revenge after Pitt efficiently controlled the game for sixty minutes in a game some thought would be Al Golden’s last.

Overall, the schedule bodes well for Narduzzi’s first season. The out of conference slate is doable early on if he keeps the team focused. The hardest part of the schedule is October, with only one home game in the first four and the second home game on a short week. The extra few days to prepare for Notre Dame will be helpful.