1. Pitt hasn't really played anybody yet.  They've played teams that aren't bad - Rutgers, South Florida, NC State, Connecticut, NAVY - but there isn't one that makes you nod in appreciation of their great work.  To their credit, they take care of business against the bad teams, but Sagarin has them with the 70^th ranked schedule in the nation.  For comparison, Boise State is at 82, Penn State is at 72 and Notre Dame is at 26.

2. They get to the quarterback.  Dave Wannstedt is a Super Bowl winning defensive coordinator, so it's not a total surprise when you see Pitt all the way at the top of the national sack leaders page with 4.33 sacks a game and 39 sacks overall.  Do you know who is next on the list?  USC, who you might remember from that time they ran around Paul Duncan and Sam Young for three quarters as if they were on a friendly neighborhood stroll to maul Jimmy Clausen.  Greg Romeus is the lead sack man with 7.5, but linebacker Adam Gunn - a fantastic name for a linebacker, or really just in general - has 5.

3. Bill Stull is sneaky good.  If I asked you to name the top QBs in the nation, you'd rattle off names like Kellen Moore or Max Hull or Tim Tebow or Jimmy Clausen, and those would be good names, because those guys are all in the top eight.  (Colt McCoy, the new Heisman frontrunner because he blew up against Central Florida and ESPN says so, is 13^th, right around similarly heralded signal callers like G.J. Kinne and Kirk Cousins.)  But who is fifth in the nation, ahead of Case Keenum, Ryan Mallett and the Tebow Child?  Bill Stull.  17 TDs, 4 picks, 67.6% completion percentage.  Considering what every single quarterback has done to Notre Dame this season, I'm doubting Mr. Stull's numbers suffer.

4. He has some nice targets to throw to...  You might remember Jonathan Baldwin from last season, where he hauled in the game-tying touchdown in the waning moments of the fourth quarter in South Bend.  He hasn't really missed a beat, catching 35 balls for 698 yards (a smooth twenty yards per catch) and four scores in 2009.  The big time red zone target is tight end Dorin Dickerson, who has ten touchdown catches on the season, getting to the end zone in each of the last five games.  Considering what Anthony McCoy did to the Irish, I can't imagine the Tenuta scheme having any trouble containing Dickerson, who had a season high 118 yards against Syracuse last week.

5. ...and a great running back to hand off to.  LeSean McCoy, who ran over, around and through the Irish last season, has thankfully departed for the NFL.  Those of us thinking there would be a giant gap at running back were painfully mistaken, as freshman Dion Lewis has stepped into the role and done exceptionally well.  He's the seventh leading rusher in the nation, with just a shade over 126 yards per game and nine touchdowns, along with 16 catches for 134 yards and another score.  Greg Schiano compared him to Ray Rice after the Panthers won at Rutgers, so the Irish front seven will have its hands full attempting to contain the 5' 8" workhorse.

6. Pitt's secondary is relatively untested and possibly not good.  The Panthers' pass efficiency defense is only ranked 49^th in the country despite going against a list of QB's that don't exactly inspire fear.  The one top they've faced, NC State's Russell Wilson, went 21 for 35 for 322 yards and four touchdowns despite being in a 31-17 hole late in the third quarter, handing Pitt their only loss.  Wilson spread it around to eight different receivers, with no one catching more than four balls.  If the Irish can protect Clausen against Romeus and company, they can possibly have some success through the air.

7. Dave Wannstedt is coach.  I grew up a Miami Dolphins fan.  Many of my friends are Chicago Bears fans.  The common bond we share?  Both teams had the pleasure of being guided by Diamond Dave Wannstedt, possibly the best mustache in all the land, but a sort of inconsistent head coach.  There are a lot of things going against the Irish in this game, but the one ace up their sleeve is Dave Wannstedt On A Winning Streak, something that by the rules of nature has to come to an end.  (This is my personal favorite Wanny collapse.)