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Notre Dame Football: Irish must avoid hangover vs. Pitt in Week 7

By Jacob Wilson

BLACKSBURG, VA - OCTOBER 6: Running back Dexter Williams #2 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish rushes against the Virginia Tech Hokies in the first half at Lane Stadium on October 6, 2018 in Blacksburg, Virginia. (Photo by Michael Shroyer/Getty Images)
BLACKSBURG, VA - OCTOBER 6: Running back Dexter Williams #2 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish rushes against the Virginia Tech Hokies in the first half at Lane Stadium on October 6, 2018 in Blacksburg, Virginia. (Photo by Michael Shroyer/Getty Images) /
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With three wins over top 25 teams in their pocket, Notre Dame football returns home to face Pitt in Week 7 of the college football season.

The Irish escaped Virginia Tech after turning a slow start into a 45-23 victory, moving to 6-0 on the season with wins over No. 14 Michigan, No. 7 Stanford, and No. 24 Virginia Tech. Pitt, on the other hand, heads into this weekend with a 3-3 overall record and a 2-1 standing in ACC play.

With two of their three losses coming at the hands of Penn State and UCF, Pitt has handled themselves well despite drawing a tough schedule to start the season. The Irish currently hold a 47-21-1 series lead over Pitt, handling the Panthers in four of their five meetings under head coach Brian Kelly.

Pitt comes in as a major underdog this week, but there’s no telling what the feel for the game will be when they take the field this Saturday. Here’s how to watch it all go down this weekend.

Date: Saturday, Oct. 13
Time: 2:30 p.m. ET
Location: South Bend, Ind.
Venue: Notre Dame Stadium
TV: NBC
Live Stream: NBC Sports or FuboTV

Keys to Victory

Notre Dame has dominated both Stanford and Virginia Tech in recent weeks, which might make a matchup with Pitt seem less threatening than it really is. However, should Notre Dame’s defense dominate the Panthers in the way Penn State and UCF have, it’s hard to imagine Pitt having much to say about the outcome of this game.

As for Pitt’s chances, this is certainly what you’d call an uphill battle. The Panthers do come in with some momentum following a win over Syracuse, so it’s plausible that they could come into Notre Dame Stadium hot. It would take that kind of hot start as well as a revitalized defensive showing to hold off a lethal Irish offense in South Bend.

Betting Odds

Odds provided by OddsShark

Point Spread: Notre Dame -21
Over/Under: 54

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Prediction

The term trap game gets thrown around often in the world of college football, but it’s typically rare to see such upsets come to fruition. After letting teams like Ball State and Vanderbilt hang around for too long earlier in the season, look for Kelly and the Irish to put this one out of reach as soon as possible.

Final Score: Pitt 10, Notre Dame 35

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