College football Week 9 schedule and predictions

STATE COLLEGE, PA - OCTOBER 21: Saquon Barkley #26 of the Penn State Nittany Lions celebrates after rushing for a 69 yard touchdown in the first half against the Michigan Wolverines on October 21, 2017 at Beaver Stadium in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /

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SOUTH BEND, IN – OCTOBER 21: Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Josh Adams (33) breaks a run to the outside during the college football game between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and USC Trojans on October 21, 2017, at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, IN. (Photo by Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

No. 14 NC State at No. 9 Notre Dame

Kickoff: Saturday, Oct. 27, 3:30 PM, NBC

At the beginning of the season, Notre Dame-NC State would not have been a matchup that I predicted would be a top-15 game towards the end of the season.

Yet Notre Dame knocked off USC in fairly easy fashion, while NC State last played two weeks ago in a win over Pittsburgh on the road.

Three Things to Watch

1. The battle between the Notre Dame rushing offense and the NC State rushing defense.

This might be the best unit-to-unit matchup on the field in this game, with the Bradley Chubb and the Wolfpack DL going up against the Notre Dame OL.

So far this season, the Wolfpack have given up 91 yards rushing per game, while the Fighting Irish has rushed for 318 yards per game. Something has to give, right? The team that breaks is likely the one that loses this game.

2. Can Notre Dame QB Brandon Wimbush just manage the game?

Brian Kelly and the Fighting Irish coaching staff haven’t asked much of their quarterback this season. They’re rushing for nearly double the yardage that they’re throwing for and they’ll look to maintain that balance this weekend.

Wimbush just needs to manage the game, not turn over the ball and give NC State extra cracks at their defense. If he can do that, Wimbush will give the Irish their best chance to win.

3. Will Notre Dame not get complacent after a huge win against USC?

Notre Dame has sneakily put up some big wins against big teams, including Michigan State and their only loss comes to No. 3 Georgia by a point. Their win last week over USC solidified their status as a playoff contender if they can keep winning games.

The Fighting Irish need to keep that rolling, so it’ll be important to watch if Kelly kept the team focused and not complacent heading into this matchup.

Notre Dame over NC State, 21-17.

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