Pat Narduzzi claims the ACC is better than the Big Ten

This time of year in college football, coaches go to battle for their conferences. Pitt‘s Pat Narduzzi is no different. For a long time now, Narduzzi has claimed the ACC to be up there with any conference in the country. However, one is specifically on his mind when looking to make a comparison. “This conference is as good as any conference in the country,” Narduzzi said via 680 The Fan in Atlanta. “I don’t care what you make and all that. I don’t care about how many resources you have and all that baloney. Talk about different conferences and what they make… Coming from Michigan State, spent eight seasons there. Coming to Pitt in 2015, I said it then, I said it now. After about two years in the league, this conference is better — it’s better than the Big Ten. It’s got more skill… I’ve said that for years and I’m going to stick to my guns.” [ $19.99 gets you a FULL year of On3 | Rivals national coverage ] When providing an explanation as to why the ACC is better, Narduzzi used one word — record. He pointed out how the ACC does quite well vs. the Big Ten (and the SEC) during bowl season and even during the regular season. “You look at our record,” Narduzzi said. “You look at our record in bowl games against the SEC and Big Ten. You look at our record in the regular season. We don’t have a losing record, we have a winning record against those teams.” Narduzzi has been at Pitt since 2015, getting an opportunity to face a Big Ten opponent on seven different occasions. The Panthers have won just one of them. It came in 2016, when Pitt won a rivalry game against Penn State at Heinz Field by a field goal. But ever since then, it’s been tough sledding for Narduzzi against the conference. Iowa got him in 2015, as did Northwestern in 2016. Three of the other losses come at the hands of Penn State, which is one of college football’s top rivalries. But the most high-stakes matchup of the bunch came vs. Michigan State in the 2021 Peach Bowl, a game the Spartans won. Of course, Narduzzi is talking about the ACC as a whole, not just his own program. A trio of ACC-Big Ten showdowns is scheduled to take place in 2026. Boston College will face Rutgers, while Virginia Tech and Maryland renew some history between them. And then there is Wake Forest against Purdue.