Pitt Hosts ESPN College GameDay Before Showdown with Notre Dame

Pittsburgh, PA — ESPN’s “College GameDay” will broadcast live from Pittsburgh this weekend as the No. 22 Panthers prepare to face No. 9 Notre Dame at Acrisure Stadium. The event marks a significant lead-up to the Saturday game, emphasizing the stakes for both teams.

Scheduled for Saturday, the show will feature host Rece Davis and analysts including Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard, and Nick Saban, along with Pitt alum Pat McAfee. It will be aired live from the Great Lawn outside Acrisure Stadium from 9 a.m. to noon, leading right into the kickoff.

On Thursday, ESPN announced Aaron Donald, a former Pitt defensive end and NFL superstar, as this week’s celebrity guest picker. Donald, who grew up in Penn Hills, will see his No. 97 jersey retired at halftime. He was a unanimous All-American and the ACC Player of the Year in 2013, and importantly, he won a Super Bowl championship with the Los Angeles Rams.

Donald joins an impressive guest list which includes College and Pro Football Hall of Famer Tony Dorsett, former Notre Dame and Steelers running back Jerome Bettis, Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi, and Fighting Irish tailback Jeremiyah Love. Dorsett’s No. 33 was also retired by Pitt during his time.

This weekend marks the fourth time that Pitt has hosted “College GameDay.” The program previously visited for the 2022 Backyard Brawl and earlier in 2005 when Pitt faced Notre Dame. The match on Saturday is significant; both teams enter with two losses, and the outcome may determine their playoff hopes for the season.

The Panthers are riding a five-game winning streak after a rough start to the season with a 2-2 record. With the debut in the College Football Playoff still elusive, Pitt sees this matchup as a crucial step toward team history on Saturday at noon ET, which will be broadcast live on ABC.