 The Panthers finished the regular season winning the Lambert-Meadowlands Trophy as Eastern Champions and ranked third in the Associate Press Poll, the inaugural year of the poll, whose rankings were finalized before the bowl season.Pitt accepted a bid to the Rose Bowl to face Washington, and this time Sutherland was determined not to lose again out west.To avoid subpar play following the cross country train trip, Sutherland took his team out two weeks early to allow for adequate preparation.