Head coach Pat Narduzzi explains why Notre Dame isn’t a ‘must-win’ game for Pitt

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You’d think that in a US LBM Coaches Poll top-25 matchup, both teams would view the game is important, but that isn’t the case for Pittsburgh head coach Pat Narduzzi as he prepares to host Notre Dame on Saturday.

The Irish enter the week as the No. 9 team, while the Panthers are No. 23. It’s a big enough game that ESPN’s College GameDay will be in attendance as well, but Narduzzi doesn’t really see much importance in this game.

During his Monday press conference, he was asked if this game was a must-win for Pitt, Narduzzi emphatically said “absolutely not, it is not an ACC game.” You’d think that the goal is to make the College Football Playoff, but it’s pretty clear what Pitts intentions are, winning the conference. They’re in a four-way tie at the top, and following this weekends game against Notre Dame, the Panthers finish the regular season with two more ranked opponents in Georgia Tech and Miami.

Narduzzi sees the clear path to the CFP, win the conference. The Panthers already have two-losses, so it makes sense for him to try and make the field of 12-team this way. That doesn’t mean that he won’t want to win on Saturday, he just knows that they’re still other paths to the playoff for his team.

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This article originally appeared on Fighting Irish Wire: Pat Narduzzi explains why Notre Dame isn’t a ‘must-win’ game for Pitt

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