All the Stars Were Clicking in Notre Dame's Pounding Win Over Pitt

The Irish look the part of a CFP team as the main men did their job in a great win over one of the ACC's best teams.

Nov 15, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Jeremiyah Love (4) runs the ball against the Pittsburgh Panthers during the fourth quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Notre Dame continues CFP march with dominant win

Notre Dame faced a must-win game for its CFP life on the road against a ranked opponent who was riding a five-game winning streak. Its response? A total physical domination of Pittsburgh in an impressive resume win that will reaffirm Notre Dame's playoff worthiness.

Sure, the Irish have a lot to clean up if they have hopes of CFP glory, such as the kicking game and short-yardage situations, both of which have been problems all season, but this is a win to cherish, one the team had to have.

To beat up the best remaining opponent on the schedule this convincingly on the road is exactly what Notre Dame needed to do to continue to prove CFP worthy.

Leaving Pittsburgh with the W ☘️#GoIrish☘️ | @Gatorade pic.twitter.com/UrWbOmpHxc

— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) November 15, 2025

Notre Dame's star players are shining

For so many decades, Irish fans would see the opposing team's players make outrageously athletic plays at Notre Dame's expense. Now, Notre Dame is the team that makes these plays.

On the ground, Jeremiyah Love is an absolute superstar and should be invited to New York come Heisman time. And through the air, Malachi Fields has been a key contributor all season and has changed what is possible in the Irish pass game.

Notre Dame's program is rapidly maturing under Marcus Freeman. With each season, more players who make big plays emerge and contribute. The Irish have a big-time roster now, and it will continue to get better with each recruiting cycle. Marcus Freeman is building something impressive in South Bend. We are in the "winning window" of his tenure now.

Chris Ash's Notre Dame defense is playing terrific football

From the second game of the season through the Pitt contest, the Notre Dame defense has allowed teams an average of 14.4 PPG. This has been a magnificent turnaround, and Chris Ash deserves all the credit in the world for blocking out the outside noise and getting his unit to improve week to week.

How impressive was Notre Dame's defensive play against the Panthers? Pitt had 81 yards of total offense and a grand total of three points in the first half. Three points it was only in position to get due to the Irish offense turning the ball over.

November football separates contenders from pretenders, and the Irish certainly look the part with just two games left to play. Notre Dame isn't perfect, but it doesn't need to be to make the CFP field.

Just keep winning.