Pitt vs. Stanford 2025 Preview: Can the Panthers’ Streak Continue?

The Pitt Panthers (6-2, 4-1) continue ACC play with a trip out west to Stanford in Week 10 to play the Cardinal. The Panthers have won four in a row and are third in the ACC, while the Cardinal (3-5, 2-3) sits at 12th in the conference. Pitt running back Desmond Reid is questionable yet again after he suffered another lower body injury in the win over NC State. Stanford is looking to stop one of the best offenses in the country, as Pitt has been torching opposing defenses ever since Mason Heintschel took over as the starting quarterback. Can Pitt move to 7-2 heading into their second bye? Let’s dive in to the Pitt vs. Stanford 2025 college football preview and find out.

Pitt Panthers vs. Stanford Cardinal 2025 College Football Preview

Pitt vs. Stanford: Matchup History

Stanford is one of the three newest members of the ACC along with Cal and SMU. Pitt and Stanford have only played four times ever, and once since 1932. Stanford beat Pitt in the Sun Bowl in 2018, 14-13. Overall, it is a 2-2 split in the series.

Like many of Pitt’s opponents, there is not much history at all with this matchup, unlike Notre Dame and Miami.

Keys to the Game and Predictions

Key Players for Pitt

True freshman quarterback Mason Heintschel has elevated Pitt from a possible bowl team to an ACC title contender. Since taking over as the starter he is 4-0, completing 65-percent of his throws with nine touchdowns and three interceptions. Heintschel just set the Pitt freshman record for passing yards in a game with his 423 yard performance last week.

Pitt has an opportunity as a 14.5-point favorite to put Stanford away early. Expect offensive coordinator Kade Bell to be aggressive in the early part of the game and pass the ball a lot. The Panthers have too many playmakers on offense to try to control the clock in this game. They need to make sure Stanford isn’t in the game late with a chance to pull the upset. Expect another big game for the freshman sensation.

Kyle Louis and Raheem Biles were both inactive last week. The good news for Pitt is their defense played a great game without their two stars. If both are healthy on Saturday, Stanford doesn’t have much of a chance in this game. Pitt simply has too many mismatches on both sides of the ball at full strength. The Pitt defense elevates to another level with Biles and Louis both healthy.

Key Players for Stanford

Stanford’s offense is led by quarterback Ben Gulbranson, and the dual backfield of Micah Ford and Cole Tabb. Both Ford and Tabb have over 80 carries on the season, combining for over 800 rushing yards and five touchdowns. Nobody else for Stanford has more than 19 attempts on the year.

Meanwhile, Gulbranson has over 1500 passing yards with eight touchdowns and seven interceptions on the year. Despite the turnovers, he has shown flashes of excellent play this season, playing two great games with two bad performances. Pitt will need to be prepared for the best version of Gulbranson if they are going to win. Expect Stanford to try to control the clock with their ground game, wanting to keep the ball out of the hands of Mason Heintschel. If Gulbranson limits his mistakes and takes care of the ball, this could be a close game.

Game Prediction

The Panthers are heavy favorites this week against an underwhelming Stanford team. If they play a relatively clean game, don’t expect Pitt to have much trouble winning this contest. Stanford would need many things to go their way to even have a chance of winning.

Normally, this would be a look-ahead spot for Pitt with Notre Dame on the horizon. However, with Pitt having their second bye next week, they don’t have much to look forward too. The Panthers should be ready to play against the Cardinal, and they shouldn’t have any trouble doing so.

Score Prediction: Pitt 35, Stanford 14