A non-conference game played the day after Christmas against a MAC opponent seems almost irrelevant, but the GameAbove Sports Bowl between Pitt and Toledo will be played at Ford Field in Detroit on Thursday at 2 p.m. anyway.

A Pitt win would end the five-game losing streak, but not the problems that led to it. A loss compounds the misery of a team that hasn’t won a game since a week before Halloween.

The idea that a bowl win creates momentum for next season is overblown. Pitt won the Sun in 2022 and went on to post a 3-9 season.

Regardless of the final result, 2025 will be a pivotal season for a program that is 10-14 since a thrilling win over UCLA in El Paso, Texas, on Dec. 30, 2022.

It was also a big offseason for the coach as he tried to build a better squad. It begins almost immediately with winter conditioning in January.

In the meantime, here are a few thoughts on the end of the season:

1. Quarterback dilemma

Aside from remarking two weeks ago that he was “hoping” and “praying” Eli Holstein shows up in Detroit with a healthy body, Narduzzi has said little about Pitt’s quarterback situation.

Injuries limited Holstein to 43 completions on 76 pass attempts for 420 yards, zero touchdowns and two interceptions in his final three games. He hasn’t played from start to finish since the California game on Oct. 12. What’s the point of playing him in a bowl game if there’s a risk of aggravating the injury?

Narduzzi said David Lynch is the backup player as scholarship quarterbacks Nate Yarnell and Ty Dieffenbach are in the process of transferring. Holstein traveled with the team to Detroit, but if he can’t go, Lynch would start.

At some point on Thursday, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to insert Penn Hills freshman Julian Dugger at center. Ultimately, these bowl practices and games should be used as an opportunity for younger players to learn their craft and impress their coaches.

2. Missiles in the air

Pitt is a seven-point favorite but needs to be prepared for Toledo’s passing game.

Junior quarterback Tucker Gleason, a transfer from Georgia Tech, is second in the MAC with 22 touchdown passes and third in average air yards per game (223.4). Its receivers were productive, led by first-team All-MAC players Jerjuan Newton (64 receptions, 949 yards, 11 touchdowns) and Junior Vandeross III (73/763/4).

The Rockets won at Mississippi State 41-17 and defeated MAC regular-season co-champion Miami (Ohio) 30-20. Toledo (7-5, 4-4 MAC) had already won its 15th straight undefeated season – third-longest in the FBS – when it lost its last two games, 24-7 and 21-14, to co-champion Ohio in overtime at Akron (4-8, 3-5).

3. Opportunities are also in the air

Konata Mumpfield has declared for the 2025 NFL Draft, opening up the opportunity for second-year forward Kenny Johnson to take over the leadership role among wide receivers. He was third in receptions (44) and yards receiving (520) this season behind Mumpfield and running back Desmond Reid. Pitt will need his leadership and pass-catching skills in 2025, supplemented by a transfer or two.

Five years ago, Jared Wayne, then a first-year wide receiver, caught a touchdown pass in Pitt’s win over Eastern Michigan in the Quick Lane Bowl – also at Ford Field. Wayne ranked ninth on Pitt’s all-time receiving yards list (2,038). Pitt hopes Johnson follows the same path.

Other names to keep an eye on Thursday include two rookies, wide receiver Tyreek Robinson and tight end Malachi Thomas.

Robinson’s stats are limited to one catch for 20 yards and six kickoff returns for 132, but he could get more opportunities against Toledo. Thomas caught two passes for 22 yards and a touchdown and has been praised by coaches since summer camp.

4. Pitts Bowl History

Pitt’s bowl history dates back to 1928, when it lost 7-6 to Stanford in the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. Practice for this game was less organized than Narduzzi’s carefully structured schedule today.

The team traveled by train, and whenever it stopped, players and coaches would get off, eat lunch and practice in that city and entertain townspeople in Dodge City, Canada, Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Winslow, Arizona.

Pitt played in four Rose Bowls, including losses to USC in 1930 (48-14) and 1933 (35-0). By the fourth game of 1937, coach Jock Sutherland was determined to break the losing streak, and the team spent two weeks on the West Coast before defeating Washington 21-0. Sutherland took advantage of every player on the roster so everyone could say he was playing for a winning team in the Rose Bowl.

5. Some interesting facts about the Pitt Bowl

The GameAbove Bowl will be Pitt’s seventh in 10 years under Narduzzi, who was 2-4 in the last six years. The school forgo a bowl opportunity in 2020 at the end of the Corona season.

After its final Rose Bowl on January 1, 1937, Pitt did not play in another bowl until January 2, 1956, when Bobby Grier became the first black to play in the Sugar Bowl. The school’s longest streak of bowl appearances is nine, from 1975–1983 (6–3) and 2008–2016 (3–6).