The Week 12 edition of ESPN’s College GameDay will focus on a pair of College Football Playoff hopefuls in Pitt and Notre Dame. The game will be hosted at the University of Pittsburgh, and the top-25 matchup could have significant CFP implications for both teams.
While there may be many who feels Saturday’s game is a “must-win” for both side, Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi made clear that he doesn’t think that’s the case whatsoever. When asked about the significance of Saturday’s game, Narduzzi massively downplayed the importance of the game because of the fact that it’s a non-conference matchup.
“Absolutely not. It is not an ACC game,” said Narduzzi, via On3. “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 could put 100 up on us as long as we win the next two after that.”
Narduzzi hasn’t had a great go against Notre Dame since taking over as coach for Pitt. The Panthers are 0–4 against the Fighting Irish since 2015, and have been outscored 103–10 by them in their last two meetings. He made clear he’s less concerned with taking down Notre Dame than he is with Pitt’s final two ACC games.
After hosting the Fighting Irish, Pitt will take on Georgia Tech on the road and will finish the regular season with a home matchup against Miami. Neither will be easy games and they will all have a significant impact on how the ACC shakes out. Narduzzi seems to think that winning the ACC would be the Panthers’ best path to reaching the CFP. So, even if they do get blown out by Notre Dame, taking care of business against conference foes is of much more importance.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Pat Narduzzi Explains Why He Doesn’t Think Pitt’s Game vs. Notre Dame Is a ‘Must Win’.
