College football Week 12: Must-see games of the week for die-hard fanatics

(12) Syracuse at (3) Notre Dame – 2:30 pm – NBC

Notre Dame is in the driver seat, in terms of locking up a spot in the College Football Playoffs, but a loss at any point would likely take them out of contention. This weekend they will travel to Yankee Stadium for one of their toughest tests to date against Syracuse.

The Orange enter the game with an 8-2 record, with one of those losses coming against Clemson. In that game, Syracuse nearly upset the Tigers, but gave up 14-points in the 4th quarter and lost by 4-points. It was a great showing by Syracuse, but they will need to improve to upset the Fighting Irish this weekend.

The key will be stopping the run, which has been an issue for Syracuse all season. Notre Dame running back Dexter Williams has rushed for nearly 800 yards over six games and will be coming off a 200-yard performance against Florida State. If Syracuse can’t slow down the powerful Notre Dame rushing attack, they will have no shot at pulling off the upset.

Notre Dame is undefeated on the season and has only one goal heading down the stretch…. clinching a Playoff birth. Head Coach Brian Kelly has said that quarterback Ian Book is expected to start this Saturday after missing time with a rib injury. The return of Book is a huge boost to Notre Dame offensively, which has struggled with Brandon Wimbush under center.

That said, it will be the Notre Dame defense that will be the difference against Syracuse. The Fighting Irish have held opponents to 19 points and 330 yards per game, but the high-scoring Syracuse offense will be a different test. However, the Fighting Irish should simply over-power the Orange and win the battle in the trenches on Saturday.

Notre Dame is looking to impress the Playoff committee, so expect them to put on a show. The Fighting Irish are simply the better team on both sides of the ball and will cover the 10.5 point spread.