(7) Stanford at (8) Notre Dame – 7:30 p.m. ET – NBC
Are the Fighting Irish a legit College Football Playoff contender? No one is quite sure, but we will all find out the answer to that question on Saturday.
Notre Dame had struggled offensively to start the season, but coach Brian Kelly made the switch to quarterback Ian Book last weekend, which completely turned the offense around. The Fighting Irish blasted Wake Forest, led by a five-touchdown performance by Book.
However, the one area of concern for the Irish has been stopping the run and Stanford will look to expose this flaw all night.
On the season, Notre Dame has given up 145 yards per game on the ground, but has yet to face a team with the power Stanford will bring on Saturday. If Brian Kelly can’t prepare the team to slow down Stanford on the ground, it may be a long night for the Fighting Irish.
Stanford comes into the game after completing an amazing comeback to beat Oregon last weekend. Quarterback K.J. Costello has led the Cardinals offense this season, but running back Bryce Love will continue to be the focus, although he hasn’t gotten off to the start many expected. Last season, Love was a Heisman finalist and predicted to be a front-runner for the award by many coming into the season, but injuries and unfavorable game situations have hampered his production.
David Shaw knows the weakness of this Notre Dame team and will look to let Love to exploit it. If Costello takes care of the ball and Love gets back to form against this Notre Dame defense, the Cardinals should have no problem putting away Notre Dame in South Bend.
This has the making to be the most competitive game of the week, but don’t bet against Stanford who should win the game outright as a 3.5 point underdog.