PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh’s future is set now that the Panthers are heading to the ACC in 2014.

The present, however, could use some work.

The stunning news Pitt and Syracuse are bolting the Big East for the super-sized ACC overshadowed the Panthers’ painful collapse against Iowa, when a commanding 21-point second-half lead evaporated into a 31-27 loss.

The pain wasn’t limited to the scoreboard. Coach Todd Graham pulled his hamstring while sprinting 30 yards to call a timeout early in the fourth quarter. Graham joked he’s “questionable” for Saturday’s game against Notre Dame (1-2), though he’s not questioning his commitment to the “high octane” attack he promised to bring to the Panthers.

The engine hummed smoothly for 45 minutes against the Hawkeyes before things started to rattle. The Panthers couldn’t run it well enough late to milk the clock, not that they were trying anyway. Pitt regularly snapped the ball with 15-20 seconds left on the clock in the second half despite the sizable lead.

Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly understands Graham’s frustration. He suffered through an up-and-down season last fall after taking over for Charlie Weis. He understands how difficult it can to be introduce such a drastic change to a bunch of 18-to-22 year-olds.