PITTSBURGH — If there's anything such as a bad bye in college football, Pittsburgh is having one this week.

Pitt is enjoying its second win against a Top 10 team in its last three road games dating to last season, but the downside is that each victory was followed by an extended layoff.

The Panthers had nearly nine months off after defeating then-No. 2 West Virginia 13-9 in Morgantown to end last season. Now, they've begun an uncommon 16-day layoff between their 26-21 upset of then-No. 10 South Florida on Thursday and their Oct. 18 game at Navy.

Given the momentum the No. 24 Panthers (4-1) are riding after beating the Bulls, this layoff may seem as long to them as the one that followed the West Virginia stunner.

If there's any advantage, it's that Pitt's assistant coaches went recruiting last weekend during a time when many schools can't go on the road.

"People know about it (the South Florida upset) and read about it, so it will help recruiting wise," coach Dave Wannstedt said Monday. "But we won't talk about national rankings or things like that. The only thing we can do is go out and play."

Just not for a long time. The layoff is Pitt's longest since a 19-day break caused by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in 2001.

Pitt has rebounded from its 27-17 opening-game surprise loss to Bowling Green to win four in a row, a possible sign the Panthers (4-1, 2-0 in Big East) are beginning to turn the corner following three consecutive non-winning seasons.

Beating South Florida establishes them as a legitimate threat for the Big East title, especially with West Virginia no longer looking dominant, and shows they are capable of beating anyone in the conference on the road.