Notre Dame at Miami: Using EA Sports CFB 26 Simulation to Predict the Winner

It’s Notre Dame at Miami. A top ten matchup in Week One on a Sunday night. Naturally, all the predictions are piling in. You have Paul Finebaum, and, of course, ESPN’s advanced metrics also made a pick.

So we decided to play the game ourselves and figure it out in advance.

Our Notre Dame vs Miami EA Sports CFB 26 Simulation

7️⃣ days until kickoff ☘️

We’re going back to Miami ☘️🔙#GoIrish☘️ pic.twitter.com/2bNYVtniZM
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) August 24, 2025

What does EA Sports College Football 26 predict in the week leading up to the Notre Dame-Miami showdown? Well, according to one simulation run by Notre Dame on SI, the video game has the same expectation as Finebaum, ESPN, and most of America: Notre Dame triumphs on the road.

Here’s the quarter-by-quarter breakdown of a simulation from one Notre Dame ON SI writer - I ran a simulation using EA Sports College Football 26. Feel free to run your own simulation. Results may, and will, vary.

Notre Dame vs Miami: First Quarter

In his first collegiate start, Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr throws an interception on his second career toss. Miami capitalizes on the turnover as quarterback Carson Beck hits wideout CJ Daniels for a 22-yard touchdown to open up the scoring in both players’ debut with the Hurricanes.

The Fighting Irish respond late in the first frame with running back Jermiyah Love punching it in from the one-yard line.

First Quarter: Notre Dame 7, Miami 7

Notre Dame vs Miami: Second Quarter

Miami quickly drives down the field and finds the end zone, giving itself a 14-7 lead over the visitors. After a handful of bend-but-don’t-break drives from each defense, the Hurricanes carry that one-score lead into halftime.

Second Quarter: Miami 14, Notre Dame 7

Notre Dame vs Miami: Third Quarter

ND starts off the quarter with a long, physical drive behind Love on the ground, but eventually stalls in the red zone, settling for a field goal, and cutting the lead to four. The quarter comes to a close after a pair of three-and-outs from both teams.

Third Quarter: Miami 14, Notre Dame 10

Notre Dame vs Miami: Fourth Quarter

Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Loves runs with the ball after making a catch during a drill in practice Saturday, April 5, 2025, at the Irish Athletics Center in South Bend. | Austin Hough / South Bend Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

After getting the football back and turning to the air, the Fighting Irish drive down the field, but once again hit a wall deep in Miami’s territory, and have to kick a field goal, cutting the lead to just one (14-13). By the fourth quarter, ND is consistently bottling up Beck and the Miami offense, forcing a third-straight three-and-out.

Offensively, the Irish begin flowing behind Love and Carr – the latter of whom gets his first career score on a 10-yard toss to tight end Eli Raridon to give ND a 19-14 lead. The Irish turn to Love on the two-point conversion try, and he finds pay dirt, extending ND’s lead to eight at 21-14.

After limiting the Hurricanes to just two first downs on their next drive, the Fighting Irish get the rock back and add three more, giving themselves a 24-14 lead, and officially putting the game on ice.

Our Simulated Final Score: Notre Dame 24, Miami 14

Although Beck (23-for-32, 238 yards, two touchdowns, zero picks) arguably outdueled Carr (went 25-for-48, 297 yards, one touchdown, three interceptions), the redshirt freshman secured the win for his squad in the season-opener.

ND on SI Take

Obviously, no matter how advanced technology and video games have gotten in recent years, a simulation is nothing more than a guesstimation – although it’s certainly a fun exercise. That said, there are a few key predictions from EA that may hold true:

1) Carr may struggle

Everyone can agree that Carr is superbly talented, and offers ND a dramatically different (and potentially potent) offensive look than the program had last year in QB Riley Leonard. Still, with zero career attempts, Carr will face a steep learning curve in Week One against a stingy Miami defense.

2) Notre Dame’s defense will bend, but won’t break

The Fighting Irish are loaded on defense, but the Hurricanes are equally dangerous on offense. Expect Beck to put together a solid and all-around efficient outing, but it’d be a surprise to see Miami surpass 20 points.

Regardless of the video game predictions (and Finebaum, ESPN’s analytics, and the rest of the college football world), Notre Dame will walk into Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday night with all the tools necessary to knock off the home squad and start its trek back to the CFP and beyond.