Anybody who's been around Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi for five minutes can deduce what is his most-endearing quality.
Narduzzi has no filter. Old school, opinionated and not afraid to tell you exactly what he thinks. That often strays from the canned answers that reign supreme at pregame press conferences during the college football regular season. It's an endangered quality from college football coaches in 2025, and this week's "controversy" is the biggest reason why.
No. 22 Pitt hosts No. 9 Notre Dame at 12 p.m. On Saturday. ESPN's "College GameDay" will be there. At Monday's press conference, Narduzzi was asked the question, "Do you feel like it's a must-win for the team when it comes to the playoff?" Most coaches would opt for an answer in this neighborhood of a matchup against a top-25 opponent.
"All games are must-win games, but this does not define our season. We respect Notre Dame and we are focused on going 1-0 this week."
Did you die of boredom reading that? Thankfully Narduzzi didn't say that. Not even close.
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What did Pat Narduzzi say about Notre Dame scoring 100 points?
Listen to the entire press conference. We never do when quotes like this pop up. Narduzzi spends the first six minutes praising several players on Notre Dame's roster and Pitt's focus through a five-game winning streak that has the Panthers at 7-2.
Freshman quarterback Mason Heintschel has steadied the offense since taking over as a starter. Kyle Louis, Rasheem Biles and Braylan Lovelace form one of the best groups of linebackers in the FBS – one that will challenge Notre Dame's rushing attack led by Jeremiyah Love.
"It doesn't matter what time or who we're playing against, our guys are coming to play, period," Narduzzi said. "All the hoopla, the 'GameDay' and all that, that's great for the city of Pittsburgh — it's great for the University of Pittsburgh — it's on a big stage. We're insulated in here as far as that goes. It's just a game."
He complimented Notre Dame again – and said that everybody who plays the Irish is a rival because the program is so good. Then, the question in question: "Do you feel like it's a must win for the team when it comes to the playoff?"
"Absolutely not," Narduzzi said Monday. "It is not an ACC game. I'm glad you brought that up. It's not an ACC game. I'd gladly get beat 103 or 110-10 in that game, they can put 100 up on us as long as we win the next two after that. But again, our focus is on Notre Dame and getting as many wins as we can."
Read that quote again and stop after "It is not an ACC game." That is the difference between a coach with a filter and one who does not have one.
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Why Pat Narduzzi's 'put up 100' comment is wrong
Narduzzi should leave that scoring margin out of the pre-game speech. That's the immediate criticism. Why would Narduzzi throw that bucket of ice water on what used to be a heated rivalry given the renewal of a classic rivalry he pointed out has not been played in Pittsburgh since 2020 in an empty stadium because of COVID-19? This time, the game is sold out. If that comment was such a big deal, however, then why wasn't there a follow-up question?
"Pat, did you really just say you don't care if Notre Dame scores 100 points? Are you worried about how your players might take that message?"
Clearly not. If the locker-room really is insulated – which Narduzzi says it is – then it really doesn't matter what he said 15 minutes into the Monday press conference anymore than what he'll say 15 minutes before kickoff. Besides, how many college-football locker-room speeches rise to the Kurt Russell in "Miracle" level? Do they need to? Pitt is a 12.5-point underdog, which is slightly less than 100 points.
This is a game – a fun game – but it's the third most-important game Pitt will play in the next three weeks.
That is the ugly truth about college football in 2025.
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Why Pat Narduzzi's ‘put up 100' comment is right
In the 12-team College Football Playoff, the classic vibe around a Notre Dame-Pitt rivalry renewal – even one where both teams are ranked – matters far less than making the playoff. That's what drives every conversation now. Will they make the playoff? What if they don't make the playoff? How many teams from the ACC will make the playoff?
We have an answer for that. It's going to be one. Right now, four-loss Duke has the cleanest look at the ACC championship game. Pitt could theoretically lose to Notre Dame, then turn around and beat No. 16 Georgia Tech and No. 15 Miami the next two weeks – which would put the Panthers in the ACC championship game on Dec. 6. Win that, and Pitt is in the College Football Playoff. That really is all that matters.
Would a victory against Notre Dame improve their seeding? Sure, but the two-loss Panthers likely aren't getting a home game in the straight seeding model anyway.
So yeah, Pitt – which already lost the Backyard Brawl to West Virginia and could lose to Notre Dame by 100 points – still has a shot at the College Football Playoff. So what Narduzzi said isn't wrong at all, and that's part of the problem.
The value of single-game rivalries matters less in a 12-team College Football Playoff. Ohio State lost to Michigan but still won the national championship last season. Notre Dame lost to Miami in Week 1 and each team has two losses. The Irish are six spots ahead of the Hurricanes in the latest CFP rankings. The sport that was built on bragging rights and rivalries has evolved into how many teams each conference can send to the playoff.
Maybe that's part of the design of Narduzzi's comments, too, which preceded a "blind resume" tweet from the ACC Football account on Tuesday.
Team A or Team B? Let's look at the facts 🤔 pic.twitter.com/LLOv0j90MG
— ACC Football (@ACCFootball) November 11, 2025
We are all for this kind of behavior from conferences, even if in this instance we would take Notre Dame's side in the Miami argument. It will not help the ACC if the Irish – which plays half of their games against the conference – gets an at-large bid at the conference's expense. So, Narduzzi called it just another game, one he doesn't mind losing by 100.
It would have been even better had Narduzzi called out the Irish for not being in a Power 4 conference. That is a conversation for another day – or maybe every day – as long as Notre Dame stays independent.
Does Narduzzi's 'put up 100' comment matter that much?
Not really, other than post-game poster-board material should the Irish score another blowout in the series. This was a great rivalry in the 1970s and 1980s. Notre Dame won 58-7 in 2023 and 45-3 in 2020. That's a combined score of 103-10, for what it's worth. This isn't about the Notre Dame-Pitt rivalry at all.
That is the sad part. This is a rivalry that conjures memories of Tony Dorsett and Tony Rice. There is a huge Catholic presence in Pittsburgh, and it's a game that's part of a bygone era.
Will Narduzzi choose his words carefully at a press conference next time? I hope not. He's equal parts comprehensive and combative, but he listens to your questions and gives a good answer. That's what he did in this case – and he's not totally wrong. The problem is the perception of bad messaging – or unnecessary messaging – ahead of what might just be the best game in Week 12.
In a way, Narduzzi's comments generated even more interest in the game. Maybe it’s not a "controversy" after all. It just made the buildup to Saturday’s game even better.
We have at least 100 more reasons to watch.