Noah Cahill
This is Notre Dame’s last chance to make a statement to the committee. On Saturday at noon, they will take the national stage at No. 22 Pittsburgh with College GameDay in town.
The Panthers have been surging since their pair of losses to West Virginia and Louisville. They played both contests without starting quarterback Mason Heintschel, making them undefeated with the freshman at the helm. The first-year signal-caller has been a revelation for a Pittsburgh scoring offense that ranks sixth in the nation. They also boast the fifth-best rushing defense, allowing only 86.4 yards per game on the ground.
Pittsburgh has the right formula and a home crowd behind it. However, the Irish will present a different challenge than any team on an ACC schedule. Despite their strength against the run, the Panthers’ secondary has been beatable, and the Irish have a quarterback who can punish them. Head coach Marcus Freeman will not take this game lightly with everything at stake. Notre Dame has too much talent and is playing far too well for Pittsburgh to keep up. Don’t expect the Irish to put up 100, but expect a comfortable win.
Prediction: Notre Dame: 42, Pittsburgh: 21
Ben Hicks
Although Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi opened his weekly press conference by expressing his indifference to this Saturday’s game with Notre Dame, I suspect his players will display some effort with the top-ten Irish and College Gameday coming to town. While it is true that the outcome won’t necessarily affect the Panthers’ Playoff outlook, the season will be on the line for Marcus Freeman and company. Barring a shocking defeat to poor Syracuse and Stanford teams over the final two weeks of the season, or complete chaos elsewhere, a win Saturday at Acrisure Stadium would lock up a second consecutive CFP bid for Notre Dame.
In a jumbled ACC, Pittsburgh has established themselves as a perennial contender, with this year being no exception. After starting 2-2, the Panthers made a change at quarterback and have since reeled off five straight victories. Although Mason Heintschel has injected life into the Pitt offense, Notre Dame’s defense has been otherworldly since its trip to Fayetteville back on Sept. 27. Pair that turnaround with the consistency and balance of CJ Carr and Jeremiyah Love in the offensive backfield, and Notre Dame should be just fine in Saturday’s raucous atmosphere. After a back-and-forth start, I like the Irish to pull away in the second half to punch their ticket to the Playoff.
Prediction: Notre Dame: 31, Pittsburgh: 17
Henry Lytle
This Irish make their first Gameday appearance this season on the road in what Pittsburgh coach Pat Narduzzi has deemed a meaningless game. While this game might be less meaningful for a Pitt team that has already collected a conference loss and takes on the Irish as the first of three consecutive ranked opponents, it is more or less the season for Notre Dame. Pitt is 2-2 in games where opponents score 30+ points and Notre Dame’s offense is easily the most potent the Panthers will have faced this year. The Irish are averaging 38 points per game and have not been held under 100 yards rushing since the season opener at Miami.
Pittsburgh’s run defense is the best the Irish have faced on paper since Miami, but they have been prone to allowing big plays in the passing game. The Irish are averaging more than a first down per completion, so Pitt’s back end needs to step up its production in a big way. I only see this game being close if Pitt can score in bunches in the second half, although Notre Dame has been dominant after halftime this season. Seeing how Notre Dame pulled away in a gritty, rain-filled game against USC, I have a lot of confidence in its defense’s ability to control Pittsburgh.
Prediction: Notre Dame: 45, Pittsburgh: 18
Tyler Reidy
With rain in the forecast for Saturday and Pitt generally tough against the run, I don’t expect this game to open up very much. And with the Panthers carrying in the “rah-rah” factors of College Gameday and Aaron Donald’s jersey retirement, Notre Dame will probably be in a close one for a good portion of the game.
The difference for me this weekend is Notre Dame’s defense. In a battle of freshman quarterbacks, it’s not as much a matter of who can outduel the other. It’s about who can operate more comfortably in a tight, gritty battle with postseason implications. I view the Irish as more consistently disruptive than Pitt on defense, with their ability to pressure the quarterback and turn opponents over the path to winning on a slow offensive day.
Prediction: Notre Dame: 27, Pittsburgh: 17
Claire Watson
No. 9 Notre Dame will face off against No. 22 Pitt this coming weekend, looking to extend their win streak to eight, with both teams coming into this game evenly matched as they are both 7-2.
The balanced Notre Dame rushing and passing game has been key in its victories. Freshmen quarterback CJ Carr has excelled on the field as he has completed 152 of 225 passes for 19 passing touchdowns and 252.8 yards per game. Alongside Carr is the junior running back duo of Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price. As a Heisman Trophy candidate, Love continues to show why his resume should not be ignored. Over the nine games that the Irish have played, Love has a total of 998 rushing yards, 13 rushing touchdowns and an average of 110.9 rushing yards per game. In addition to this, Price has a total of 568 yards, nine rushing touchdowns and an average of 63.1 rushing yards per game.
Should the trio of Carr, Love and Price continue to work together on offense, the Irish will be able to break apart the Pitt defense.
Prediction: Notre Dame: 56, Pittsburgh: 27
