At the start of the season, it is unlikely that anyone in college football thought that College Football Playoff implications would be in Pittsburgh, PA. No, not for the Pitt Panthers. But instead for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Notre Dame put itself in a proverbial win-or-go-home scenario after losing the first two contests of the season. Now, the Irish have positioned themselves right where they need to be to close out the season. However, Pitt is now a ranked opponent after rising to No. 22 with a current 7-2 record. The Panthers’ two losses came in back-to-back weeks in September to West Virginia and fellow ACC program, Louisville. They have since won five-straight contests and look to upset Notre Dame’s season and College Football Playoff hopes. The contest will take place at 12:00 PM ET on ESPN. With College GameDay in attendance and Aaron Donald being honored, can the Panthers do it?
Who Will Keep Their Season Alive?
Notre Dame and Pitt have not played each other since 2023. The Irish won that match-up 58-7. That lone touchdown wasn’t scored until the fourth quarter. Since the first contest between the two schools in 1930, Notre Dame is 49-21 all-time. The Irish are 26-11 when playing the Panthers in Pittsburgh and have won the last four meetings. Can the Panthers get their first win against Notre Dame since 2013? And if so, does that knock Notre Dame out of Playoff contention and keep Pitt’s hopes alive?
What Does Notre Dame Have To Do?
The recipe has been clear for Notre Dame all season. And it sounds like a broken record at this point. The Irish need to keep the offense balanced, get the ball in their playmakers’ hands, and create turnovers on the defense. All of this can happen if Notre Dame keeps its focus this weekend in Pittsburgh. The Irish can’t lose focus on the goal. College GameDay and Peter Herbstreit being in attendance is enough to distract anyone, but Donald will also be there. These outside factors can’t cause a distraction for the Irish.
Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr has really grown since the first two games of the season. He needs to command the offense early and quiet a likely larger than usual Pittsburgh crowd. Carr ranks third in passing efficiency with a 176.8 this season, behind only Julian Sayin for Ohio State and Fernando Mendoza of Indiana. In addition, he ranks first in yards per pass attempt, averaging 10.11 yards per attempt. He has thrown for 2,275 yards, 19 touchdowns, and only four interceptions. Carr has done this by spreading the ball around; 14 different receivers have caught passes this season. None more than Jordan Faison, but four others, including running back Jeremiyah Love, are clustered for the second spot. Fans were hoping to get Jaden Greathouse back as a possible weapon this weekend, but Freeman has stated that he is not ready to go yet. The Irish are still hopeful for a return for the wideout this season.
Can Pitt Get the Win?
The Pittsburgh Panthers welcome No. 9 Notre Dame into Acrisure Stadium on Saturday. The Panthers sit 7-2 on the season and 5-1 in the ACC. They will finish their season with two-ranked ACC opponents in Georgia Tech and Miami. If they lose to the Irish and drop to 7-3, they can still keep their hopes alive with two ranked ACC wins to end the season. So, is this a back-breaking game for Pittsburgh? No. Would it be nice to get the upset against a team that they haven’t beaten since 2013? Yes.
To do that Pitt will have to contain this high-performing Notre Dame offense. The Panthers will have to get the Irish out of rhythm early and test an improving, but not overly battle-tested Notre Dame defense. Pitt will need to try to do what the last seven Notre Dame opponents couldn’t do, which is make the Irish one-dimensional. If the Panthers can do that, then they may be able to keep it close at the end.
Main Image: Michael Caterina-Imagn Images
