Notre Dame-Stanford: Fighting Irish Wire staff predictions
Notre Dame is starting to heat up right when the temperatures in the midwest begin to really cool down. Fall is very much in the air in this part of the country and what better way to spend a Saturday night than enjoying a bit of that crispness in the air with the Irish playing host to annual rival Stanford.
The two are defined as rivals because they play each year and even have the Legends Trophy that the winner gets to take home each year, but do any Notre Dame fans really consider Stanford a rival? And do Stanford fans look at Notre Dame as one?
Those are questions to be answered in a different post but what Notre Dame has is an opportunity to not only win a fourth-straight ballgame but to show continued signs of improvement that they’ve displayed in recent weeks.
Stanford enters at just 1-4 after suffering a heartbreaking home loss last week while the Irish are 3-2. Here is what the Fighting Irish Wire staff sees happening Saturday night in South Bend.
Geoffrey Clark (3-2):
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The Irish once again find themselves with an opponent that has a solid offense and a not-so-great defense. One difference is that the Cardinal aren’t quite as offensively potent as North Carolina or BYU. That being the case, the Irish only need to tread water when they have the ball until they find an opportunity to break through, and that shouldn’t take long at all. Plus, any scenario of the Cardinal pulling off an upset in this series anytime soon is laughable (sorry not sorry).
Notre Dame 35, Stanford 21
Michael Chen (3-2):
(Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
This is a tale of two teams going completely different directions. The Cardinal won their season opener, the Irish did not. Stanford has proceeded to lose their next four games, and although Notre Dame lost game two, they’ve come back and gotten better each of their last three games, resulting in victories. This really shouldn’t be much of a contest, Marcus Freeman has his team believing in themselves once again. I’d be surprised if Stanford still is making this a game by the half, but this has been a very odd season. Either way, the Irish shouldn’t have a difficult time getting a victory this Saturday evening even if they have to work a bit longer than 30 minutes to do so.
Notre Dame 38, Stanford 17
John Kennedy (4-1):
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Momentum. Don’t ask me how I measure it, but I believe it’s real and matters greatly in college football. The Irish are riding a 3 game winning streak and a new found confidence entering their matchup with the Cardinal Saturday night in Notre Dame Stadium. The Cardinal however, limp into the sure to be a bit chilly Midwestern fall night with a 1-4 record, the latest loss coming last Saturday night on the last play of the game against Oregon State as the clock expired. Stanford is down, Notre Dame can give them a reason to also be out. They are ranked 120th on Defense for a reason and I expect the Irish to display gaudy and balanced run/pass numbers for the third straight game. Offensively, Stanford has turned the ball over 14 times so far this year, good for last in the country and is also possibly looking at being down 2 starting offensive linemen in this game due to injury. The Stanford Shaw Shine is gone, but it is yet again time for Pyne to dine.
Notre Dame 44 , Stanford 24
Jeff Feyerer (4-1):
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I’ve been waiting for a game that is less nail-biter or less slog and more coronation. Every game this season thus far has had a tinge of suspense. I feel this one could be our first woodshed of the season. David Shaw’s boys aren’t their usual selves and while Tanner McKee is a decent quarterback, I don’t see the Cardinal being able to hang with the Irish when Notre Dame should be able to put up a ton of yards and points on a woeful Stanford defense. Stanford ia allowing over 200 yards and 5.6 yards per carry on the ground. I expect Estime, Diggs and Tyree to combine for over 300 yards on the ground. It’s going to be cold. It’s going to be loud. It’s under the lights. It’s going to be a blowout. They need one.
Notre Dame 48, Stanford 17
Nick Shepkowski (4-1):
Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports
Last week’s win over BYU came down to the final minutes but it really shouldn’t have. Notre Dame showed me something last week that has me feeling better about them than at any point this season. Sure, they didn’t put a complete game together as a couple of lapses led to BYU making things a bit too interesting but two main takeaways from that:
Notre Dame overcame the missteps and still beat the nation’s 16th ranked team
Notre Dame dominated that game for roughly 80% of it
Stanford is coming off a heartbreaking home loss that saw their best effort of the year. Now their horrendous run defense jumps on a four-plus hour plane ride to take on a team that is getting excited to hit you in the face. Three Irish backs gain over 100 total yards in this one as Notre Dame dominates en-route to 4-2.
Notre Dame 45, Stanford 10
