No. 22 Pittsburgh is set to host No. 9 Notre Dame in an important battle for the College Football Playoff race on Saturday.
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Pitt is the best team remaining on the Irish’s schedule in the regular season. If they beat the Panthers, the program would have two wins over ranked opponents. (Notre Dame beat then-No. 20 USC 34-24 on Oct. 18.)
After playing ND, the Panthers will play two consequential contests against No. 16 Georgia Tech and No. 15 Miami that could decide the ACC championship matchup on Dec. 6.
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Pitt’s upcoming ACC games might explain why head coach Pat Narduzzi made a bizarre comment this week about why his team’s matchup against the Irish might not matter all that much, despite the hyped contest being the site for ESPN’s “College GameDay” on Saturday morning.
“Absolutely not. It is not an ACC game,” Narduzzi said. “… I’d gladly get beat 103 or 110 to 10… They could put 100 up on us as long as we win the next two after that.”
The Panthers were hit with some bad news on Friday for the matchup. Per Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports, freshman kicker Trey Butkowski is not expected to play against Notre Dame due to an illness.
“Pitt standout kicker Trey Butkowski is expected to miss tomorrow’s game against No. 9 Notre Dame due to an illness, sources tell @CBSSports,” Zenitz posted. “Is 19 of 21 on field goals this season.”
Butkowski has made 40-of-41 extra point attempts this season.
The situation is something to keep an eye on for Saturday for a couple of reasons. Pitt should have had an advantage in the kicking game over the Irish. Notre Dame’s struggles attempting field goals and extra points have been well-documented this season.
It’s also a worry for the rest of the Panthers’ roster. It’s unclear if the illness is contagious, but this is the time of year when many illnesses can start to spread and could impact other players on Saturday.
For more on the NCAA, head to Newsweek Sports.