Nick Saban, ESPN College GameDay react to viral Pat Narduzzi comments on Notre Dame game

Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi set the college football world buzzing this week with a wildly casual assessment of the Panthers’ showdown with Notre Dame. With ESPN College GameDay arriving in Pittsburgh and national attention zeroing in on the 7–2 Panthers, Narduzzi brushed aside the idea that the matchup was a “must-win.”

“Absolutely not,” Narduzzi said at his press conference. “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 could put 100 up on us as long as we win the next two after that.”

The response immediately went viral. Narduzzi is 0–4 against Notre Dame during his tenure, and while the comment was clearly tongue-in-cheek, it drew reactions from the entire College GameDay crew on Saturday morning.

Pat McAfee viewed Narduzzi’s message as an attempt to ease the tension surrounding the moment: “At this stage of the season, there’s going to be teams that have to win or pick up another loss and effectively eliminate them,” McAfee said. “I think what Coach Narduzzi said — he was trying to take the pressure off the boys. Let them know, like, GameDay is coming to town. There’s going to be a lot of hype. Notre Dame is going to be here. They’re 12.5-point favorites. We can lose by 100 points, and it’s okay.”

Moreover, McAfee added that Narduzzi later walked back the comment: “I’m a paisan every once in a while.” However, he emphasized that for Notre Dame, this is unquestionably a must-win situation.

Next, Nick Saban shifted the discussion toward his mindset and preparation: “When you think about it, every game is a must win,” Saban explained. “I used to always tell our players, it’s going to be about what we do. When we look at this film on Monday, it’s going to be the mistakes we made. That’s what you need to focus on.

“I tried to stay away from the outcomes. Saying it was a big win put too much emphasis on the outcome for me.”

On the other hand, Desmond Howard understood the strategy, even if the delivery surprised him: “When I saw Narduzzi say that, I’m like, ‘Man, is he crazy?’ But maybe he’s crazy like a fox,” Howard said. “It takes all the pressure off his guys, but it also puts pressure on Marcus Freeman and Notre Dame. They don’t have a conference championship game, so every game is a play-in game.”

Finally, Kirk Herbstreit added that the pressure narrative around Notre Dame isn’t a new one, as it’s always there for the Irish and their leader: “Being the head coach at Notre Dame, you’re dealing with pressure every single day,” Herbstreit elaborated. “They dealt with that after losing their first two games. It’s a big day for Pitt, but Notre Dame will show up.”

Whether Narduzzi’s comments lighten the moment for his team or fuel Notre Dame’s fire, the stakes remain high. The Irish must keep winning to preserve their playoff hopes, while Pitt seeks a signature upset, even if their coach insists it’s not a must-win.