The Panthers finished with another 8–5 record in 2016. In the season opener, they defeated in-state FCS opponent Villanova by a score of 28–7. After a 42–39 victory over archrival Penn State, Pittsburgh suffered their first loss of the season, dropping a 45–38 contest to Oklahoma State. After a nailbiting 37–36 loss to North Carolina, Narduzzi's team won a 43–27 contest over Marshall on October 1. A second straight win followed one week later when the Panthers defeated Georgia Tech by a margin of 37–34. Narduzzi's squad won a third straight game On October 15 when they defeated Virginia by a score of 45–31. Pittsburgh then suffered consecutive defeats, falling to No. 25 Virginia Tech by a margin of 39–36 and Miami by a score of 51–28. On November 12, the Panthers traveled to Clemson, South Carolina and knocked off No. 3 Clemson by a score of 43–42 on a late field goal. Pitt followed that huge upset victory with a 56–14 blowout win over Duke and a high-scoring 76–61 shootout victory over Syracuse to finish the regular season. Pittsburgh accepted an invitation to the Pinstripe Bowl, a game they lost to Northwestern by a score of 31–24.