Notre Dame vs. Pittsburgh: Playoff Implications & Best Bets

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00:00It's Notre Dame and it's Pittsburgh today, Joe, mounting their way, securing a playoff spot when this network, and when I say this network, I mean me.

00:08I told you Notre Dame was going to be in the college football playoff, and today, they're 12.5-point favorites over Pitt.

00:14Can Narduzzi come up and slap me around left and right, Joe, and make me look stupid? I don't think so. I don't think so.

00:21I'm hoping on it. Let me tell you.

00:22Look at it. Look at it.

00:23I am so tired of this narrative.

00:24That's me 30 pounds heavier right there. Look at me.

00:26You look fantastic, eh? I did you justice with the growth hormone there. You look phenomenal.

00:32I got the ring on, too. You got one on?

00:34No, no pinky ring. I'll wear the pinky ring next week. How about that, all right?

00:38When I'm right, hopefully Pitt will win.

00:39Now, I will give you your props. Notre Dame lost two straight, right, to Miami and A&M.

00:46They've ripped off seven straight wins by an average margin of victory of 26.1 points per game.

00:52CJ Carr, with the passing attack, has taken over.

00:54Price and Love are two of the best running backs, potentially all in college football, when you just look at their ability, 23 rushing touchdowns combined.

01:04But you have a red-hot Pitt team with their new quarterback, Hineshull, right?

01:09And they've won five straight by an average margin of victory of 19 points per game.

01:13They're averaging Pitt 39 points per game.

01:16Have one of the best rush defenses in all of college football, holding opposing offenses to 82 yards per game, 2.5 yards per rush.

01:24They're going to look to take away Price and Love.

01:26It's got to be CJ Carr.

01:28I'll just say this, Donnie.

01:30This is the most pressure that CJ Carr has faced since week one when he went out getting his first start as a freshman and going up against the Hurricanes.

01:41There is no margin of error.

01:43Notre Dame loses this game as a 12.5-point favorite.

01:46They are out of the college football playoff.

01:48They are hanging their hat on the loss to Texas A&M.

01:52And the fact that Miami is at least relevant, if they didn't have that, there's not one quality win on their resume right now.

01:59And by the way, it's so hard to sort of take the ACC serious at this point.

02:03And again, I'm a Miami Hurricanes fan.

02:05I just want to see them get in.

02:06And I do, but, boy, when you say, like, okay, five straight wins, which usually means something in college football.

02:11You can say five straight wins in the SEC, the Big 12.

02:13It's like, hey, you probably knocked off some pretty good teams.

02:15Look at, like, B.C., FSU, Syracuse, NC State, Stanford.

02:19But, again, also Notre Dame, really.

02:21Boise State, decent.

02:22NC State, stop it.

02:23USC, overrated.

02:24B.C., ah, Navy at that point.

02:26So when I look at this game going in, it's home field advantage for Pitt.

02:29Now, granted, Notre Dame always has great traveling fan base at this point.

02:32Tell me something about Pitt and Narduzzi that could surprise Notre Dame today.

02:36Again, they have the ability to shut down the rushing attack of Notre Dame defensively and be in this game.

02:44Again, Heinzel and that offense are averaging basically 320 passing yards per game.

02:51He's distributed the football much better than Eli Holstein did at the start of the year.

02:55And they're putting up numbers.

02:56Every game that he has started, Donnie, they have averaged basically 30 points per game.

03:02So playing at home, they're going to push a little bit of tempo.

03:04And the way you have to beat Pittsburgh isn't running the football.

03:08Even though they might want to try and do that, Notre Dame, they're going to find out early enough that they have to attack the secondary.

03:15They're suspect, Pittsburgh.

03:16Over the top, they've allowed 237 passing yards per game.

03:21It's got to be C.J. Carr.

03:22It has to be those wide receivers to step up.

03:25Pauling, Faison to really take the pressure off a Carr.

03:29And then on top of that, that can open up the rushing attack later in the matchup.

03:33We'll see how this game plays out because Pitt playing at home, yeah, the game technically doesn't count because it's an out-of-conference game.

03:40But they still could be an at-large team if they win out.

03:43They need to win this game, Pittsburgh.

03:45I like them with the points in this ballgame.

03:47Pittsburgh, like I said, hasn't played anybody.

03:49Florida State technically being ranked to start the season.

03:51They have a three-point victory over them.

03:54Syracuse, NC State, Stanford.

03:55Louisville, decent win there, 34-27.

03:57Excuse me, decent loss, I should say, 34-27.

04:00But then Louisville gets beat last night.

04:01But you're right about this.

04:02The final three games, Joe, you knock off Notre Dame, top-10 team.

04:05You knock off Georgia Tech, top-15 team.

04:07You knock off Miami, top-15 team.

04:10You're in the college football playoff.

04:11They might technically not might be in for the ACC championship.

04:16So that's why Narduzzi comes out.

04:18He makes these comments, which is understandable.

04:20But why are you making them if you get blown out now?

04:24Do you still need to win this game and be ramped up?

04:27Because there's no guarantee.

04:29Potentially right now, if Virginia wins, they're issuing for potentially one of those spots.

04:34You still have SMU alive.

04:36You still have Georgia Tech alive.

04:38There's the opportunity where if they win out, they still might be on the outside looking in.

04:43And then they're in at-large with potentially, let's say, Texas or Oklahoma with two losses.

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