While players and coaches were trying to recover from a disappointing loss to unranked Miami, Pitt received some good news Tuesday night when the College Football Playoff committee ranked the Panthers 25th.

The committee released its first rankings of the season on ESPN.

Despite the Miami loss, Pitt (6-2, 3-1 ACC) remains in first place in the ACC Coastal. The Panthers also lost to Western Michigan of the Mid-American Conference earlier this season.

The committee apparently put considerable weight on Pitt’s four Power 5 victories: Tennessee of the SEC and ACC foes Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech and Clemson.

Pitt can win the ACC Coastal and go to the conference championship game Dec. 4 by winning the final four games of the regular season, starting Saturday at Duke. Pitt also plays North Carolina and Virginia at Heinz Field before the finale at Syracuse.

Pitt is one of three ACC teams ranked by the committee and the only one from the Coastal. Undefeated Wake Forest (8-0, 5-0) is No. 9, and N.C. State (6-2, 3-1) is 19th. Pitt is unranked in the Associated Press poll and No. 25 in the AFCA Coaches Poll.

The top four are Georgia, Alabama, Michigan State and Oregon, followed by Ohio State, Cincinnati, Michigan, Oklahoma, Wake Forest and Notre Dame.

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