There are doubters and haters in the world of sports.

Sometimes, doubters and haters are the same people; sometimes, they are not.

I know the Pitt Panthers football program has always had its haters. Penn State, despite its insistence to the contrary, loathes the Panthers—always has and always will. The Nittany Lions and their annoying fans also doubt that Pitt will ever be good at football again. West Virginia football and its fans are also doubters and haters of the Panthers.

Pitt could be the top team in the nation, and those Nittany Lions and Mountaineers supporters will be on Twitter (currently known as X) saying mean stuff.

As things stand with the 2024 edition, I’m not sure how many other programs, opposing fans and those who write about and cover college football hate the Panthers, but Pitt sure does have plenty of doubters despite its first 7-0 start in 42 years.

The Panthers boast one of the most explosive and exciting offenses in the country, led by redshirt freshman quarterback Eli Holstein and dual-threat running back Desmond Reid. As for the defense, after getting off to a slow start, the unit held the Cal Golden Bears to 15 points in a 17-15 win on October 12 and returned three interceptions for touchdowns (all linebackers, btw) in a 41-13 blowout of Syracuse on October 24.

Yet, despite the best start since Gerald R. Ford was just five years removed from serving in the highest office in the land, the Panthers still have much to prove when they take on 20th-ranked SMU at Gerald J. Ford Stadium in Dallas, Texas, on Saturday night. The Mustangs’ debut season in the ACC has been an impressive one, as they’ve gotten off to a 7-1 start and are currently undefeated in the conference at 4-0.

If Pitt, currently ranked 18th in the top 25 AP poll, can pull off a win in a hostile venue, that should do wonders for elevating its status, right?

It’s hard to say. After all, the Panthers have the 60th toughest schedule in the nation and will be facing their first ranked team so far in 2024.

A victory should and likely will earn Pitt a spot closer to the top 10, but how close remains to be seen. The good news is the Panthers control their own fate. After the Mustangs, the Panthers play back-to-back home games at Acrisure Stadium–the first against a meh Virginia squad and the second vs. a powerhouse Clemson program that is currently 6-1 and 5-0 in the ACC. Pitt then ends its regular-season schedule with winnable road games against Louisville and Boston College.

If the Panthers run the table, they’ll guarantee themselves a spot in the ACC Championship Game. If Pitt wins the ACC, it will earn a slot in the first-ever 12-team playoff. But what if the Panthers go undefeated in the regular season but lose in the ACC title game?

Pitt fans can cross that bridge when they get to it, and that bridge will certainly be in sight if the Panthers can defeat a ranked SMU squad on the road on Saturday night.

The Panthers may not be able to do much about their haters, but they can convert some of their doubters by improving to 8-0.