The 8th-ranked Pitt Panthers play their biggest game to date tonight, yet the team's demeanor is not much different than it was in training camp or the week leading up to their opener against Youngstown State or the week after their only loss of the season to North Carolina State.

Or any other week, for that matter.

And that is the secret to the Panthers' success -- they do not seem to get rattled, they do not seem to get too high or too low and they do not worry about distractions or hype.

Some describe it as a quiet confidence, others say it is almost boring, but the truth is this team takes care of business.

Pitt (8-1, 5-0 Big East Conference) will play host Notre Dame (6-3) tonight at Heinz Field in the first of a three-game stretch that will define the Panthers' season.

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Scouting report

• Matchup: No. 12 Pitt (8-1, 5-0 in the Big East Conference) vs. Notre Dame (6-3), today, 8 p.m., Heinz Field. Pitt is favored by 7 points.
• TV/Radio: WTAE-TV; WWSW-FM (94.5) and WBGG-AM (Fox Sports Radio 970)
• Pitt: Looking to win its ninth regular-season game for the second consecutive year. That has not happened since 1981-82. ... Is ranked No. 8 in the Associated Press poll. ... Begin a three-game stretch against opponents who are a combined 21-6. ... Has won two of past three games against Notre Dame.
• Notre Dame: Leads all-time series with Pitt 44-19-1 and has a 25-9-1 record in Pittsburgh. ... Coming off a 23-21 loss against Navy. ... Averages 30.1 points and 326 passing yards per game. ... Quarterback Jimmy Clausen has thrown 20 touchdown passes and three interceptions.
• Hidden stat: Pitt has turned the ball over only nine times this season.

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Coach Dave Wannstedt said the Panthers have proven to him that they are focused on all the right things.

"We've said many times this year that the quickest way to get defeated is to be distracted," Wannstedt said. "Come [tonight], there will be enough excitement and enough hype, and that will be the time to let emotions go. But, during the week, it is important to focus in on the game plan and on our assignments.

"I know our kids are excited and looking forward to it, but we've done a great job this week of managing all of that, and I give our seniors and captains a lot of credit for that because it has been business as usual from a preparation standpoint."

The Panthers' ability to stay focused and play so consistently -- outside of a bad fourth quarter at North Carolina State -- stems from two things: good leadership and a group of seniors who were recruited to bring the program a championship.

"The quality of every championship team is the ability to handle ups and downs like winners," Wannstedt said. "There will be ups and downs every week, and I think the teams that stay together and don't come unglued and be steady during difficult times have a chance to be in games and win games."

That focus by players such as Dorin Dickerson, Aaron Berry and Nate Byham -- big-time recruits who chose Pitt over bigger offers because they wanted to be a part of restoring Pitt to national relevance -- has been contagious.

And while leaders are often defined in terms of the guys who do all the talking and show the most emotion, this team, surprisingly, has few "rah-rah" guys.

In fact, outside of senior defensive tackle Mick Williams, who has been the heart and soul of the defense, there is not another player who would be described as an emotional leader.

"The chemistry of your football team is in direct correlation with your leadership," Wannstedt said. "In the locker room or meeting room, you might hear some things [from team leaders being said], but this team is probably on the serious side. You don't know from year to year, but every player and every team has its own personality.

"Leadership is viewed by players in different ways but it is not always [the stars]. And sometimes the perception of what a leader is to the public is not really what the reality is behind closed doors."

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