BLACKSBURG, Va.-- They had seen Miami struggle against Rutgers, watched Boston College move ahead of Notre Dame, heard the Lane Stadium crowd react as the public address announcer reeled off the upset scores Saturday evening. And despite the fair warning, Virginia Tech still couldn't stop Pittsburgh from ruining the Hokies' own national championship hopes.

Red-faced -- and not just because the temperature dipped into the 20s by game's end -- the third-ranked Hokies blew a two-touchdown second-half lead on their way to a 28-21 loss. Virginia Tech now joins Georgia, North Carolina State and Notre Dame on the unwanted list of late-great Fiesta Bowl candidates.

Don't ask the Hokies how it happened; they can't tell you. They led, 7-0, then, 14-0, then later, 21-7. . . then -- poof -- Pittsburgh scored 21 consecutive points and that was that.

"I never would have thought in a hundred years we would lose this game," said Va. Tech tailback Lee Suggs, who gained 128 yards and scored twice.

Suggs did almost all of the heavy lifting for the Untouchables, what with Kevin Jones leaving early with a hamstring injury. "It just put a lot more pressure on Lee," quarterback Bryan Randall said.

Jones' absence wasn't the problem. The reason why the Hokies are 8-1 today has more to do with a Virginia Tech defense that gave up 275 rushing yards, 208 passing yards and committed a key personal foul. Nor did it help that Randall could only manage 12 completions and 145 yards (no touchdowns, one interception) against the Panthers.

"You need to pinch me right now," said Pitt running back Brandon Miree, who rushed for 161 yards, including the game-winning 53-yarder late in the fourth quarter. "I've been watching Virginia Tech for years. I've idolized them. But against all odds we knew how to come back."

Miree had help. Quarterback Rod Rutherford only completed 11 passes, but three of them went for touchdowns.

"That is the biggest win we've had here because it was on the road against a great football program, a highly ranked football team," Pittsburgh coach Walt Harris said.

This is the highest ranked team Pitt has beaten since it defeated No. 2 Georgia in the 1982 Sugar Bowl. Now, Pittsburgh improves to 7-2 and remains unbeaten in the Big East. It plays Temple Saturday and then travels to Miami for a Nov. 21 game.

Meanwhile, Virginia Tech is stuck playing the what-if game. The Hokies have four regular season games remaining, including a Dec. 7 trip to Miami. The schedule prompted this vow from Va. Tech cornerback DeAngelo Hall: "I guarantee it: We will not lose another game."

After Upset Saturday, maybe that's not such a wise promise to make.

Gene Wojciechowski is a senior writer for ESPN The Magazine.