No. 24 Pitt’s game against No. 10 Notre Dame is one of the biggest of Week 12. However, Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi doesn’t think it’s as significant as the Panthers’ last two games of the season.
Narduzzi is focused on Saturday’s game. But he’s also very, very focused on his team’s conference title hopes. When asked if the game against Notre Dame was a must-win, he dismissed the notion pretty quickly.
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“Absolutely not, it is not an ACC game,” Narduzzi said Monday. “I’m glad you brought that up. It’s not an ACC game. I’d gladly get beat 103 or 110-10 in that game, they can put 100 up on us as long as we win the next two after that. But again, our focus is on Notre Dame and getting as many wins as we can.”
Since Notre Dame is an independent, whatever happens on Saturday doesn’t affect Pitt’s status in the ACC race. And the ACC race is, uh, crowded after Week 13.
Pitt is one of five teams with one conference loss heading into the final three weeks of the season. Georgia Tech, Virginia and SMU are also 5-1, along with the Panthers, and Duke is 4-1. Behind those five, Louisville is 4-2 after losing in overtime to Cal in Week 11, and Miami is 3-2.
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The Panthers have the toughest schedule remaining of any ACC contender. They’re the only one of the seven teams with a shot at the league title who face ranked opponents over each of the next three weeks. After Notre Dame in Week 12, Pitt is at the Yellow Jackets and then finishes the season with a home game against the Hurricanes.
If Pitt wins both of its games against Georgia Tech and Miami, it’s playing for the ACC title and a shot at the College Football Playoff. If it goes 2-1, and one of those wins is over Notre Dame, Pitt’s playoff chances are a lot, lot lower. And Narduzzi is well aware of that.
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