ACC preview: Pittsburgh

PITTSBURGH -- As Pittsburgh takes a step up in competition by leaving the Big East -- now American Athletic Conference -- to join the ACC, second-year coach Paul Chryst has a lengthy to-do list.

That's especially true on offense, where there are holes to fill all around the formation.

Either by players expiring their eligibility, leaving early for the NFL or simply leaving the program, the offense took a major hit since 2012. The Panthers must find a new starting quarterback, a pair of running backs, a starting receiver and a pair of offensive linemen. That is a bevy of concern for any team let alone one that will make its ACC debut in primetime Labor Day against Florida State.

Tom Savage's journey through the college football wilderness has landed him in the leading role as Pitt's quarterback. At least for now. The former prize recruit at Rutgers has not attempted a pass in a game since 2010. Combine that with many other new faces on offense and it is easy to see why Panthers fans may have concern as the program heads into its new conference environs.

That concern certainly heightened when running back Rushel Shell decided he wanted to transfer during the spring and ultimately landed at - gasp! - West Virginia. Shell was expected to take over for the departed Ray Graham following what was a productive freshman season.

It all adds up to a critical fall camp that has Chryst looking for players that can step in, step up and make things happen. And it needs to happen fast. After all, such ACC opponents as FSU, Virginia Tech, which has not forgotten last year's loss to the Panthers, Georgia Tech and Miami - plus Notre Dame - are not going to feel sorry for the newcomers.

"Last year we focused on the teams we were playing," said Chryst. "This year we'll focus on the teams we'll be playing. The teams are different and there are new opponents that guys aren't used to facing. But for myself, I don't think it'll be much different than last year."

A strong defense returns mostly intact. The unit, led by senior tackle Aaron Donald, will likely have to play at a high level early and often until the offense finds its footing.

SPOTLIGHT ON SEPTEMBER: Initially, the Panthers were going to open Aug. 31 at home against FCS opponent Villanova. That changed in late February when it was announced Pitt will play its first-ever ACC game at home against defending conference champ Florida State, which is breaking in a new QB as well. After a week off, Pitt hosts New Mexico. Then it is back into conference play with a date at Duke (Sept. 21) followed by a home tilt versus Virginia (Sept. 28). The ACC media poll had Pitt fifth in the Coastal Division ahead of the Blue Devils and Cavaliers.

KEYS TO SUCCESS: It would be too much to expect Savage to be a game-breaker at quarterback, at least early in the season After all, it has been three years since he last threw a pass. He needs to simply show some skill and leadership while managing an offense that suffered great losses. To that extent, junior Isaac Bennett will be given every opportunity to shine at running back after being an afterthought behind Graham and Shell. Chryst has done great things with many an offense, but even he may have trouble sorting out this group if Savage falters. Because of so much uncertainty, it is vital that a stout defense not just shine early, but also make life manageable for the offense in the form of turnovers resulting in short fields, etc.

AREAS OF CONCERN: The highly recruited Savage won the starting job at Rutgers as a true freshman in 2009. Since then, he has served as backup for the Scarlet Knights, transferred to Arizona and then transferred to Pitt. Going into his final season of eligibility, can Savage find the form that made him such a highly-prized Philadelphia-area recruit? It would help if dependable receivers behind Street can be found. Street caught a team-high 73 passes for 975yards and 5 TDs last season. Unfortunately, there is not one other returning receiver that caught more than five passes a year ago. Another area that will be scrutinized is that of place kicker. Oftentimes a good field goal kicker can bail out an offense. That could be a problem as well with no returning experience in that area.

--Team correspondents for The Sports Xchange contributed material for this story.