Notre Dame vs. Pitt: Playoff Implications Abound

📸 Credit: https://125.nd.edu/moments/pinkett-helps-the-irish-shock-1-pitt/

On Saturday, November 15, 2025, No. 9 Notre Dame (7-2) travels to Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh to face No. 22 Pitt (7-2) in a noon ET kickoff broadcast on ABC. This marquee matchup—drawing ESPN's College GameDay to the Steel City—pits two squads against each other in a game that could shake up the College Football Playoff picture. Both teams sit at 7-2, but Notre Dame's signature wins (including a 49-10 dismantling of Navy last week) have them favored by 11.5 points.

Momentum on Both Sides

The Fighting Irish are rolling, winners of seven straight after early-season stumbles against Texas A&M and Miami. Their high-powered offense ranks 15th nationally in total yards (466.1 per game) and ninth in scoring (38.7 points). Defensively, they're stout against the run (102.0 yards allowed, 14th) and force turnovers at an elite clip (+10 margin, 8th).

Pitt, meanwhile, boasts the ACC's top-scoring offense (39.7 points, 6th nationally) and an opportunistic defense that suffocates rushers (80.9 yards allowed, 3rd). However, their pass defense has shown cracks (237.4 yards allowed, 97th), and penalties (70.2 yards per game, 129th) could prove costly against a lethal Irish squad.

Key Players to Watch

📸 Credit: https://apnews.com/article/notre-dame-texas-am-cj-carr-8d295b0953c2d0ea6b3edd45d6f0382a

Notre Dame: Quarterback CJ Carr has been lights-out, completing 67.6% of his passes for 2,275 yards, 19 TDs, and just 4 INTs. He's got reliable targets like WR Jordan Faison (545 yards, 3 TDs) and a thunderous backfield led by RB Jeremiyah Love (988 rushing yards, 13 TDs).

Pitt: QB Mason Heintschel torched Stanford for 304 yards and 3 TDs, showcasing his arm talent (1,550 yards, 12 TDs overall). RB Ja'Kyrian Turner is a dual-threat nightmare (401 rushing yards, 6 TDs; 127 yards and 3 catches last outing), while WR Raphael Williams (565 yards, 6 TDs) stretches the field. The Panthers' front seven, anchored by their run defense, will test Notre Dame's ground game.

Storied Rivalry with Recent Irish Dominance

This is the 73rd meeting in one of college football's most underrated rivalries, dating back to 1909. Notre Dame holds a commanding 50-21-1 all-time edge, including a current four-game win streak since 2015 (most recently a 23-17 thriller in South Bend). Pitt did own a brief surge in the 1970s-80s, winning five of eight, but the Irish have reasserted control in the modern era. 

What to Watch For

This boils down to execution in the trenches: Can Pitt's elite run defense (3rd nationally) bottle up Love and force Carr into mistakes? Or will Notre Dame's turnover-forcing D (+10 margin) pick off Heintschel? The Panthers thrive at home (4-0 in Acrisure this year), but the Irish's road resilience (3-1 away) and superior red-zone efficiency (75% TD rate) tilt the scales.

Go Irish!