PITTSBURGH (7-5) VS. KENTUCKY (6-6), 10 a.m., ESPN
Line: Pittsburgh by 3 1/2
Series record: First meeting
What’s at stake: Pittsburgh is attempting to put a positive finish on a disappointing season that led to coach Dave Wann stedt’s forced resignation. Wannstedt will not be on the sideline for the game, though he was with the team during bowl practice. Defensive coordinator Phil Bennett will serve as interim coach for a program that soon will have its third coach in two months. Pitt hired Miami of Ohio coach Mike Haywood, only to fire him after he was jailed in Indiana on a domestic violence charge. Kentucky is trying to finish with a winning record after losing three of its last five regular-season games under first-year coach Joker Phillips.
Key matchup: Pittsburgh’s pass rush against Kentucky QB Morgan Newton. Pitt, which ranks 24th in the nation with 2 1/2 sacks per game, will pressure Newton, a sophomore filling in as the starter after Mike Hartline was suspended following an arrest on charges of public intoxication and disorderly conduct.
Facts & figures: The Panthers, who closed the regular season by winning at Cincinnati, will try to win back-to-back games for the second time this season. … Kentucky’s 6-6 season included a win over South Carolina one week after the Gamecocks upset then-No. 1 Alabama.
