Pittsburgh Could Change Playoff Chances for Texas and Notre Dame

The new College Football Playoff (CFP) rankings are out, and the ACC didn’t get much love. Miami is sitting at No. 15, Georgia Tech barely got noticed, and Pittsburgh came in low at No. 22. But that same Pittsburgh team could end up changing the entire playoff race — and even help Arch Manning’s Texas Longhorns.

On the See Ball Get Ball with David Pollack podcast, college football analyst Brent Rollins said Pittsburgh might be the most important team right now. “They control the destiny of three to five teams,” Rollins said. And looking at their next few games, he might be right.

Pittsburgh (7-2, 5-1 ACC) is on a five-game winning streak and faces a big test against No. 9 Notre Dame this week at Acrisure Stadium. If the Panthers pull off an upset, it could end Notre Dame’s playoff hopes — and give Texas a major boost.

Right now, Texas is ranked No. 10, just behind Notre Dame. If the Irish lose, the Longhorns could move up in the rankings, especially if they finish strong and win the Big 12 title. A Pittsburgh win would also help other one-loss teams like Oregon and Alabama climb higher in the CFP rankings.

It doesn’t stop there. If Pittsburgh keeps winning — with games left against Georgia Tech and Miami — they could shake up the entire ACC picture. Miami, for example, could lose ground in the ACC title race or drop out of a top bowl spot if they can’t beat the Panthers.

Still, Pittsburgh coach Pat Narduzzi doesn’t seem too worried. When asked if the Notre Dame game was a “must-win,” he said, “Absolutely not. It’s not an ACC game. They can score 100 on us as long as we win the next two.” That’s a surprising comment from a coach making over $7.2 million a year — especially one who’s 0-4 against Notre Dame and has been outscored 103-10 in the last two meetings.

But maybe Narduzzi knows what he’s doing. His team has scored almost 200 points in its last five games and is playing confident football. While everyone is watching Texas and Notre Dame, it might be Pittsburgh — the quiet ACC contender — that ends up shaking the whole playoff race.

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