Pittsburgh to meet Mississippi in Compass Bowl

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) - Pittsburgh is making its third straight 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. Both are led by first-year coaches.

Pitt became bowl eligible for the fifth consecutive season with Saturday's 27-3 rout of South Florida, rebounding after losing its first two games to Youngstown State and Cincinnati.

Paul Chryst's Panthers also took No. 1 Notre Dame to triple overtime before losing.

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.