Notre Dame–Pittsburgh Game Gets Unexpected Kickoff Time

Notre Dame gets the early kickoff time at Pittsburgh, making it an early start for Fighting Irish fans. What was not yet announced is what channel the game will air on, as it'll be either ABC or ESPN.

Pittsburgh started 2-0 before dropping contests at West Virginia and to Louisville to fall to 2-2. It has since won five-straight games, and is in the thick of the ACC race as it is one of five league teams with one conference loss.

Notre Dame vs. Pittsburgh Series History

Notre Dame has played Pittsburgh nearly as much as any other opponent in program history, having taken on the Panthers 73 times, winning 51 of those while tying another. The Fighting Irish have won seven of the last eight matchups with Pittsburgh dating back to the 2010 season.

While Pittsburgh has often made life difficult for Notre Dame in that stretch, the last two matchups have been lopsided blowouts in favor of the Irish. Notre Dame won the last meeting, a 2023 contest in South Bend, 58-7. It also won at Pittsburgh its last trip back in 2020, routing the Panthers 45-3.

Nick Shepkowski's Quick Thoughts:

It's Navy week and that unique offense deserves the complete attention of the Notre Dame team this week, but I can't help but play a little bit of look ahead. Perhaps it's because of scar tissue over the years, but I see Pittsburgh being a significantly more difficult task than first thought for Marcus Freeman's Fighting Irish.

Maybe that's because of the close calls in some of Notre Dame's biggest recent seasons (2012 and 2018 certainly both come to mind). Perhaps playing an early game and not getting the home crowd overly rocking from a full day of tailgating beforehand will prove good for the Irish.