BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) - Pittsburgh is making its third consecutive trip to the BBVA Compass Bowl. The Panthers will face Mississippi on Jan. 5 in a matchup of 6-6 Big East and Southeastern Conference teams. Ole Miss was 2-10 last season. Both programs are led by first-year coaches.
Mississippi won its sixth game with a 41-24 upset of Mississippi State for their first Egg Bowl win in four years. Rebels coach Hugh Freeze led a resurgence of a team with one Southeastern Conference win over the previous two seasons.
The Panthers became bowl eligible for the fifth consecutive season with Saturday's 27-3 rout of South Florida, and rebounded after losing their first two games to Youngstown State and Cincinnati. Paul Chryst's Panthers also took No. 1 Notre Dame to triple overtime before losing.
Freeze is the sixth Rebs head coach to guide Ole Miss to a bowl game in his first season at the helm. He inherited a team with a 14-game SEC losing streak.
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