Predict Four | Four staff writers give their predictions for Pitt vs Notre Dame

Luck of the Panthers, 24-21 // Ethan Lemler, Staff Writer

Ranked matchup. Sold out Acrisure. College Gameday. The lights could not be brighter for true first-year QB Mason Heintschel. After starting quarterback Eli Holstein was sat down after the Louisville game when the Panthers fell to 2-2 on the season, Heintschel has jump-started Pitt.

Leading his team to five straight victories, Heintschel and the Panthers have found themselves with a clear path to the College Football Playoffs. The only thing standing in their way is a ranked Georgia Tech and Miami in the ACC. But to earn an at-large bid, Pitt needs to win on Saturday, and that is no small task.

Led by Heisman candidate, junior running back Jeremiyah Love, Notre Dame has rattled off seven straight victories after starting the season 0-2. Love is a tall task for the Pitt defense to handle, but star junior linebacker Kyle Louis might have his unit up to the task.

The Panthers come into this game ranked as one of the best rushing defenses in Division I, allowing just 80.9 yards per game on the ground, good for third in the country. A battle will happen on Saturday, but Heintschel has shown the composure of a veteran. This will be the best defense he has played thus far, but I predict another good day for the running back trio of first-year Juelz Goff, senior Desmond Reid, and first-year Ja’Kyrian Turner. The Panthers will come out of this game one step closer to the CFP.

Bye Bye to the Irish — Pitt comes out on top, 31-28 // Rithika Praturu, Staff Writer

It’s No. 23 Pitt versus No. 9 Notre Dame — a matchup with a lot of playoff implications. According to ESPN’s Football Power Index, the Fighting Irish hold a 77% chance to win outright, but recent momentum suggests Pitt won’t go down quietly.

Both teams enter this matchup on impressive streaks — Notre Dame riding seven straight wins and Pitt with five. In their last outing against Stanford, Pitt’s defense delivered one of the most dominant performances of the Pat Narduzzi era, holding the Cardinals to -10 rushing yards, the fewest allowed in his 11 seasons and just the fourth time his team has held an opponent to negative yardage. If the Panthers can sustain that defensive intensity, they can make things quite interesting against the No. 9 team.

Notre Dame’s defense has been pretty airtight on the road — giving up only 16.7 points per game — while Pitt’s home defense allows around 23.4. But the real story of the season has been Pitt’s offensive resurgence under Heintschel, who has led the team to an average of 39.9 points over the past three games.

With the hype around College GameDay coming to town and a sold-out crowd at Acrisure Stadium, expect a high-energy, back-and-forth battle fueled by playoff stakes and pride. Notre Dame may have the experience and depth to get an edge to survive a hostile road test, but Pitt has the crowd, the momentum and their pride on the line. Pitt will take this, but it’ll be a close one.

The echoes are awake, and the sons are rallied, ND 38-34 // Sean McQuillan, Staff Writer

Look, this isn’t a trap game. It’s what Irish head coach Marcus Freeman called “a real challenge.” The last time Pitt hosted College GameDay was Sept. 3, 2005, when the Panthers welcomed the Fighting Irish. Notre Dame brought Touchdown Jesus on the road and beat Pitt, led by quarterback Tyler Palko, 42-21 — good, but not great.

Twenty years later, there’s a new story.

An 18-year-old from Oregon, Ohio — ranked No. 48 among pocket passers with mostly MAC offers — joins a Power Four program and becomes one of the best quarterbacks in its history.

Ladies and gentlemen… meet Mason Heintschel.

Pitt is unbeaten at 5–0 and averaging nearly 40 points per game since he took over. He moves well outside the pocket and has topped 13 yards per completion in each of his three starts — the spark Pitt desperately needed.

But on the other side comes true Love. And Pitt will pay the Price.

Notre Dame’s backfield duo of Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price is unmatched. The Irish are the only FBS team with two runners over 500 yards this season — Love at 988, Price at 569. Yes, Pitt boasts one of the nation’s top run defenses, allowing just 2.39 yards per carry. But Notre Dame isn’t one of the best — they are the best at what they do.

To all the yinzers heading to the Acrisure on Saturday, I’ve got bad news. My heart will forever lie as a student at the University of Pittsburgh, but my first love? Well, my last name tells the story. Here comes the Irish of Notre Dame.

Pitt proves they belong, beats Notre Dame 31-30 // Thomas Simione, Staff Writer

The red-hot Panthers face their toughest task yet this Saturday, taking on No. 9 Notre Dame at home in front of a sold-out crowd. The whole season has been leading up to this moment, and Pitt has an opportunity to prove it’s ready to take a shot at the ACC title.

While most oddsmakers favor Notre Dame, I’m putting my faith in these young Panthers. Stopping junior running back Jeremiyah Love and this Notre Dame offense will be a tough task, but Pitt has the firepower needed. Pitt currently has the third-best run defense in the country, allowing just 80.9 yards a game on the ground. Additionally, Pitt’s top four linebackers are the only group in the nation to all have a 70+ grade on PFF. If Pitt can stack the box and take away the run, it’ll force redshirt first-year quarterback C.J. Carr to rely on his arm.

Pitt has a first-year quarterback of its own who’s been turning heads — Mason Heintschel. If Heintschel can keep the same consistency he’s shown through five starts, then the offense shouldn’t have any trouble getting off to a hot start on Saturday.