Notre Dame could win at Pittsburgh on Saturday but still see its College Football Playoff chances take a big hit - if a couple of SEC upsets go down.

Transfer Will Pauling, formerly of Wisconsin and Cincinnati, has taken Jaden Greathouse’s place as the starting slot receiver.

The Pittsburgh Panthers are in a position to shock the college football world after starting their 2025 season with a 7-2 record, and ahead of the biggest game of their campaign against a top 10 ranked team the ACC team’s head coach made a wild comment about the matchup.

Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire criticized Notre Dame for not being part of a conference during the CFP race.

In a bold projection that has already sparked debate among college football fans and analysts, Bud Elliott, senior college football analyst for CBS Sports, has forecast that the USC Trojans and Notre Dame Fighting Irish will face each other in the opening round of the College Football Playoff.

Nov 8, 2025; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback CJ Carr (13) looks to pass against the Navy Midshipmen during the first half at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Michael Caterina-Imagn Images / Michael Caterina-Imagn Images

Pittsburgh checked in at No. 24 in the initial College Football Playoff rankings, meaning its best and perhaps only path to the 12-team field is by winning the ACC.

Learn which TV channel or how to live stream the Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. Navy Midshipmen game, Saturday, Nov. 8.

Just three running backs have claimed the Heisman in this century: USC’s Reggie Bush (2005) and Alabama’s Mark Ingram (2009) and Derrick Henry (2015).