For the first time in what feels like an eternity, Pittsburgh is in the college football spotlight. ESPN’s “College GameDay” is leaving the crowd and making its way directly to the Steel City. All eyes will be on Acrisure Stadium this weekend as No. 23 Pittsburgh takes on No. 9 Notre Dame. It has been twenty years since the show last rolled into Pitt. The stakes are quite high because both teams are tied at 7-2. And Pitt’s Pat Narduzzi seems all ready to set the tone.

Narduzzi just can’t help himself, and honestly, this is starting to feel a bit intentional. After Pitt’s recent comeback, the fiery head coach of the Panthers is back at intensifying his subtle jabs at Mike Norvell’s Florida State as Notre Dame approaches. When questioned about the game, Narduzzi declared Notre Dame to be “by far the most athletic team across the board in all three phases” that Pitt had encountered.

And that remark came from a man who, only a few weeks back, referred to NC State as “the most talented,” which came off as yet another sneaky little jab at Tallahassee. Narduzzi loves to have these competitive mind games with his rivals. And, Narduzzi didn’t end there. He stated, “We got to do what we got to do,” and brushed off things, saying he had watched the ACC games this weekend.

This means that he doesn’t care about the rankings, the gossip, or who claims to be the greatest. Pitt is coming off a dominant 30-13 victory against Syracuse, and despite the turbulence of their early-season skid, Narduzzi’s confidence is undeniable.

Still, the timing of his statements couldn’t be better. After a near-perfect performance that had snow swirling and the Irish appearing unbeatable, Notre Dame defeated Navy 49–10. But Pitt enters Homecoming weekend with a five-game streak, a motivated locker room, and a head coach who is obviously loving the spotlight.

Meanwhile, Norvell will do his best to prove his team won’t fall prey to these games. Back in October, after their 34-31 loss to Pitt, Norvell said, “I’m frustrated with the results. Ultimately we got to get it fixed. We got to go make it better and show the potential of what this team is, you know, on a consistent basis.” And now is the time.

Narduzzi is aware that the Irish have the experience and skill, but at the moment, his Panthers have confidence and maybe a little extra push from all the headlines he consistently creates.

Pat Narduzzi’s jabs add salt to Mike Norvell’s wounds

Watching his Florida State squad collapse once more, this time in a heartbreaking 34-31 home defeat to Pitt, was definitely not how Mike Norvell had pictured spending his 44th birthday. Frustrated Seminoles fans took their rage online as soon as the clock struck zero, hilariously changing Norvell’s Wikipedia page to refer to him as “Former Head Coach.”

With the longest conference losing run in program history dating back to 2024, this was their eighth consecutive ACC defeat. This fall from grace has been terrible to watch for a fan base that had witnessed a 13-0 season just two years ago.

The crazy part? FSU didn’t play a flat game. They fought. Tommy Castellanos, the quarterback, threw for 245 yards and three touchdowns with zero interceptions as they overcame several deficits. With seven receptions, 133 yards, and two touchdowns, receiver Micahi Danzy had an incredible day. He even gave the crowd a final boost of hope with a 58-yard bomb to make it 34-31. But the onside kick that failed. That was it.

After the defeat, FSU’s record dropped to 1-10 in ACC play since 2023. And sadly, no amount of wiki edits can fix that. “You should be frustrated with the results,” Norvell told reporters. “We’ve lost three straight games. I’m frustrated with the results. We’ve got to get it fixed and make it better.” He pointed fingers at “self-inflicted mistakes,” broken pass lanes, and “unacceptable” defensive play. And with the game approaching, while one coach knows exactly what he has to do, another is still figuring out what went wrong.