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✦ NEWS & NOTES television rating this season of any college football game on any network. The 5.2 rating reached 8,627,000 viewers and 5,950,00 households. The previous top standard this year was the 4.8 rating when Alabama-Michigan played Sept. 1 in Cowboys Stadium. It also was the most-viewed telecast involving Notre Dame since the 2006 loss at USC, which averaged a 9.0 rating. • A victory against Pitt this Saturday would give the Irish their first nine-game winning MISCELLANEOUS NOTES • Last week's Notre Dame-Oklahoma prime-time showdown achieved the highest streak since starting 10-0 in 1993. Notre Dame had eight-game winning streaks under head coaches Bob Davie (1998), Tyrone Will- ingham (2002) and Charlie Weis (2006). • Pitt has won two of its last three games at Notre Dame, and lost only 23-17 in its last appearance there (2010). In 2008, the Panthers won in quadruple overtime, 36-33, after claw- ing back from a 14-point deficit. In 2004, Pitt quarterback Tyler Palko be- came the first player to toss five touch- down passes in one game against the Irish during Pitt's 41-38 victory. • The last time Pitt played an oppo- nent ranked in the top four was Dec. 1, 2007. On that day in West Virginia — which was No. 1 in the coaches' poll and No. 2 in the Associated Press rankings — the 4-7 Panthers pulled their great- est upset in school history with a 13-9 win to eliminate the Mountaineers from playing in the BCS title game. • Half of Notre Dame's eight wins have been against teams ranked in the AP top 25 at the time of the matchup, more than any other school. Florida and Kan- sas State are the only other two teams to have played three. • Notre Dame is No. 3 in the BCS standings, equaling the highest ranking it has ever had Despite being a defensive player, senior linebacker Manti Te'o currently sits second on Heisman Trophy watch lists produced by SI.com, ESPN.com and CBSSports.com. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA playing on defense. SI.com's Zac Ellis lists Te'o second this week behind Kansas State's Col- lin Klein. In the poll of SI staffers, Klein got all but one of nine first-place votes, while Te'o was listed among the top three on all nine ballots. Sporting News puts Te'o third behind Klein and Ohio State's Braxton Miller. ESPN's poll of experts has Te'o second behind Klein — with Te'o receiving six second- during the BCS era that began in 1998. The 8-0 Irish also were No. 3 in 2002 before losing 14-7 at home to Boston College Nov. 2. • Senior linebacker Manti Te'o continues to be a premier Heisman candidate despite place votes (to four for Oregon's Kenjon Banner). The CBSSports.com Heisman Straw Poll (votes from 11 media members on 3-2-1 basis) has Klein first this week (31 points, 10 first-place votes), Te'o second (13 points) and USC receiver Marqise Lee third (seven points). ✦ PAGE 14