Pittsburgh running back Dion Lewis rushed for 261 yards and scored four touchdowns to help the Panthers stomp host Cincinnati, 28-10, on Saturday.
Pittsburgh, (7-5, 5-2 Big East) earned at least a share of the conference title but cannot earn its BCS bowl bid because of head-to-head tiebreakers.
The Panthers needed both No. 24 West Virginia and Connecticut to lose in its regular season finales Saturday to have a shot at the league crown.
However, the Mountaineers defeated Rutgers, 35-14, to crush Pittsburgh’s BCS hopes.
The Panthers were the conference’s preseason favorite earning 22 of the 24 first-place votes in the annual media poll.
WIth three weeks remaining in the season, Pittsburgh controlled its own destiny and needed to win out to collect a league championship.
But West Virginia defeated Pittsburgh, 35-10, on Nov. 26 and allowed Connecticut, which plays South Florida Saturday at 8 p.m. on ESPN2, a chance to control its own fate entering the final week.
The Bearcats (4-8, 2-5) will end the season finishing seventh in the eight-team conference.