Notre Dame vs. Pittsburgh: Why the Fighting Irish Season Will Crumble If Upset

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have a glorious opportunity to get back to .500 on Saturday when they travel on the road to take on the Pittsburgh Panthers.

Notre Dame quarterback Tommy Rees could dominate the Panthers with ease if they don't turn the ball over, and the offensive line protects him.

The Panthers defense has given up 1,009 passing yards this season, and has looked quite vulnerable in the secondary.

Last week in a big 31-13 victory against Michigan State, Rees threw for 161 yards with a touchdown and an interception.

The important part of his performance was his accuracy, which was tremendous. Rees completed 69 percent of his passes, and did not make the bad mistake that would put the Fighting Irish in a difficult spot.

The Panthers defense should expect a heavy dose of Notre Dame wide receiver Michael Floyd on Saturday, and the talented wide receiver will surely draw double teams all game, thus opening up the Pittsburgh defense for other Fighting Irish receivers to find open spots in.

Floyd will dominate in the red zone, and his ability to go up in the air and grab passes over cornerbacks is amazing. On the season, Floyd has 33 catches for 397 yards, and expect those stats to rise dramatically today.

On defense, Notre Dame has to force mistakes from Panthers quarterback Tino Sunseri who has thrown four touchdowns this season.

The Fighting Irish need to take advantage of their passing offense against the Panthers defense, and stop the Panthers own passing attack to win the game.

Notre Dame shouldn't have a problem with Pittsburgh if they don't turn the ball over and give the Panthers quality field position.