Red Flags: 5 college football teams on upset alert in Week 5
- Has the luck of the Irish already run out?
- Is there a leak in the Beavers' dam?
- What could we learn from the Magnolia Bowl?
By John Buhler
3. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Opponent: at No. 17 Duke Blue Devils | Time: Saturday, Sept. 30, 7:30 p.m. ET (ABC) | Spread: Notre Dame -5.5
This is the one that if it were to happen would not shock me at all. However, maybe I am not quite there when it comes to Duke football on multiple big stages in a given month. Mike Elko's Blue Devils essentially curb-stomped Dabo Swinney's too-good-for-the-transfer portal Clemson Tigers in Durham on Labor Day night. He is the real deal as a head coach, Duke's next Steve Spurrier for what you will.
So the No. 17 Blue Devils will be getting 5.5 points at home vs. a Notre Dame Fighting Irish team that could only muster 14 points at home to an Ohio State University defense we weren't all that sure was any good until last Saturday night. That is too many points, and we all know what Sam Hartman does in big moments. He channels his inner Kirk Cousins, and the team he plays for does not like that, man.
For Duke to get to 5-0 and creep inside of the top 15, quarterback Riley Leonard needs to play better. A big performance out of him gets him very much into the ACC Player of the Year conversation, although Jordan Travis and Florida State would beg to differ. Frankly, Notre Dame does not play well in big spots to begin with. So something has to give, right? Either Duke is elite or Notre Dame is not.
If Duke was ranked inside of the top 10, then Notre Dame would have zero chance in this ballgame.