The Pitt Panthers football team is riding a five-game winning streak going into the program’s biggest game over the last four years. This 22nd-ranked Pitt team will take on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, who are number nine in the country, on Saturday. 

This game has lots of national attention, as College Gameday will be there, which has not happened for Pitt since the 2022 Backyard Brawl. 

There are also huge playoff implications riding on this game. If Notre Dame were to lose to Pitt, they would be eliminated from playoff contention. If Pitt were to win, they would arguably be the hottest team in the country and give themselves a real shot at the College Football Playoff. 

The two games Pitt has after Notre Dame are no slouches either. They will go on the road to play Georgia Tech, which is a top 20 team, and then they come back home to Acrisure to play Miami, which is a top 15 team. 

Although it may look like a reach, the Panthers have a better chance than people think to win all three of those games. Pitt matches up really well against all three of their remaining opponents.

So let’s say Pitt wins out. They would move to 10-2 and 7-1 in ACC play. This would put them in a great spot to get into the ACC Championship Game, and if not they will be on the fringe of an at-large bid for the playoff. They would have one of the better resumes in the nation with four ranked wins, two being on the road.

Even if the Panthers lose to Notre Dame, they still could beat Georgia Tech and Miami, putting themselves in a great spot for the ACC Championship Game. The game against Notre Dame is the only one they can afford to lose, because Notre Dame is not a conference opponent. 

If Pitt were to lose one of their conference games against Georgia Tech or Miami, they would need help from other teams to find a way into the ACC Championship Game, and they would be eliminated from an at-large bid.  

The worst scenario for the Panthers would be to lose two out of the three, resulting in an 8-4 record, or losing out and going 7-5. These possibilities would eliminate them from any chance of playoff contention and they would find themselves in a mediocre bowl game, eliminating all of the hype they had built up around themselves. 

With all of that being said, Pitt has a great chance to put themselves on the map with three big wins and a playoff berth. This would be huge for the program, giving them more opportunities for big recruits from high school and the transfer portal, along with more funding in NIL.