
PITTSBURGH - The Pitt Panthers have the week off, but when the schedule resumes in two weeks, it will come against the most difficult opponent of the season.
The ACC has announced that Pitt will kick off against No. 10 Notre Dame on Nov. 15 at noon on either ABC or ESPN. Additional information, including the television broadcast assignment, will be released next week.
"Next week obviously we're going to work on recruiting," Pat Narduzzi said after the win vs. Stanford. "Because it's Friday, we don't have any days left, but we're going to use this bye week to get healthy. We're going to stay fresh. We'll have two practices. Both of them will be in spider pads so there will not be a lot of physical contact but we'll mentally be way ahead on the Irish."
It's the start of a run to finish the season against three straight ranked opponents - Notre Dame, No. 16 Georgia Tech and No. 18 Miami.
Notre Dame started the season with back-to-back losses to Miami and Texas A&M, but the Fighting Irish have rattled off six wins in a row since. They will host Navy this weekend before traveling to Pittsburgh in two weeks.
Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr has developed into one of the better quarterbacks in college football, but it's the 1-2 punch of Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price that fuels the Irish offense. Pitt has been one of the best run defenses in college football this season, but the defense will be tested by perhaps the best running back duo in college football.
Pitt is 21-49 all-time against Notre Dame, with the series ranking as one of the Panthers' longest and most played.
The most recent meeting came in 2023, a 58-7 win by the Fighting Irish that flipped a poor season completely on its head.
The Fighting Irish also won the last meeting at Acrisure Stadium, a 45-3 trouncing during the shortened COVID-19 season in 2020.
The last time Pitt beat the Irish came in 2013, a 28-21 win at then-Heinz Field. Former quarterback Tom Savage threw for 243 yards and two touchdowns, and former running back James Conner and wide receiver Tyler Boyd combined for two touchdowns.
With both Pitt and Notre Dame likely to be ranked when the Irish come to town, the matchup could have legitimate College Football Playoff consequences, and Acrisure Stadium should be a raucous environment. A win for the Panthers would go a long way nationally.
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