The No. 5 Notre Dame Fighting Irish will attempt to keep their College Football Playoff dream alive on a trip to Pittsburgh Saturday. Kickoff is set for noon ET, with television coverage on ESPN.
How to watch Notre Dame vs. Pitt on TV or online, plus 3 things to know
No. 5 Notre Dame can shore up their College Football Playoff credentials with a solid road win over Pitt, but the Panthers will be raring to earn their place in the rankings with an upset win.
The Irish return to Pennsylvania just seven days after a hard-fought four-point win over Temple, but Notre Dame now plays fully aware that a spot in the Playoff could be in the balance. The Fighting Irish are ranked fifth, and with No. 2 LSU and No. 4 Alabama playing later Saturday, there will be a spot open in the bracket.
Of course, to get there, Notre Dame has to get past an excellent Pitt team. The Panthers come into Saturday's game at 6-2, with their two losses coming to undefeated Iowa and one-loss North Carolina. Defending ACC Player of the Year James Conner was injured in the season opener and has not played since, but backup Qadree Ollison has managed 716 yards on more than five yards per carry in his absence.
How to watch, stream and listen
TV: Noon ET, ABC
Radio: Notre Dame and Pitt affiliates available.
Online streaming: WatchESPN
Spread: Notre Dame -8.5
Make friends: Get to SB Nation’s team blog chats for this game at One Foot Down (for Notre Dame fans) and Cardiac Hill (for Pitt fans).
Three big things to know
1. Can Pitt rebound after last week’s loss to North Carolina? The Panthers made a brief appearance in the Coaches’ Poll in week eight but fell out immediately after falling to the Tar Heels last Saturday. That 26-19 defeat wasn’t as close as it looked -- at one point they trailed 23-6 in the second half -- but Pat Narduzzi’s team can regain their momentum and a spot in the rankings by upsetting the No. 5 Fighting Irish at home.
2. Can Brian Kelly’s team live up to the CFP selection committee’s lofty standards? Notre Dame only has one win over a currently ranked program -- last week’s victory over No. 22 Temple. The Panthers are a fringe top 25 team right now, and though beating them won’t do much to raise Notre Dame’s national stock, losing to them would all but disqualify them from the College Football Playoff.
3. Will DeShone Kizer be able to cover up his passing deficiencies with his legs? Kizer threw a pair of first-half interceptions against Temple that pushed his touchdown:interception ratio to 11:6 for the season. However, his 79-yard touchdown run helped swing the momentum back in Notre Dame’s favor and he finished the game with 143 rushing yards and two TDs on only 17 carries. Kizer is facing a Panther team that can limit him on the ground or through the air on Saturday, and he’ll need to be a true dual-threat quarterback to lead the Irish to a big offensive showing.
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