Game Prediction: #6 Notre Dame at Stanford
Notre Dame (10-1) gets one last chance to impress the College Football Playoff committee this weekend when it takes on the Stanford Cardinal (3-8). The Fighting Irish are a 20.5-point favorite, and they'll need a dominant win in order to leave a lasting impression on the committee.
Irish Breakdown has broken down the game and now it's time to make predictions.
BRYAN DRISKELL, PUBLISHER
Prediction: Notre Dame 52, Stanford 13
Look, Stanford is a really bad football team. Barring one of the worst collapses of the last 20 years for Notre Dame this isn't about whether or not the Irish will win, the question is how convincing will the win be. If Notre Dame wants its shot to play for a national title it needs a completely dominant victory. Notre Dame can't just beat Stanford, it must beat them in similar fashion to what it did to Georgia Tech last week.
Notre Dame has mismatches over Stanford all over the field, and it will be up to coordinators Tommy Rees (offense) and Marcus Freeman (defense) to ensure their players are ready to execute aggressive game plans at a high level. Notre Dame should be able to dominate the trenches, and this is a slow and relatively unathletic Stanford team, which should open up big play opportunities on offense.
The key for Notre Dame will be getting off to a fast start and putting Stanford away early. I expect that to happen, and I predict Notre Dame will punish Stanford on the ground, hit big plays in the pass game and the Irish defense is going to dominate Stanford's floundering offense.
VINCE DEDARIO, FOOTBALL ANALYST
Prediction: Notre Dame 49, Stanford 6
This game is not about Notre Dame vs Stanford. It is about Notre Dame vs Notre Dame. Can they play to the standard that they have set for themselves on both sides of the ball? Can they replicate the game plan and performance that they had against Georgia Tech? Can they continue with the play they have had in the second half of the season? Was last week a fluke or is this the Notre Dame team that we can expect to see in whatever postseason destination they draw a week or so from now?
I think this is the Irish team that we have wanted to see since summer and I think they will continue to be that team. They will start fast on both sides of the ball and they will continue with the game plan throughout. This one should be over by halftime. Stanford is not as good as Georgia Tech and should not put up much of a fight. The Irish win big here.
ANDREW MCDONOUGH, IB CONTRIBUTOR
Prediction: Notre Dame 38, Stanford 0
Yes, that's not a misprint. I'm predicting a second consecutive shutout for this Notre Dame defense and a fourth consecutive game where the Fighting Irish do not allow a touchdown. This team is peaking at the right time and understands that it needs a performance that leaves a lasting impression in the mind of the committee in the final game of the season to position itself for a third CFP berth in the past four seasons.
Looking at the stats, I believe that Stanford is the worst team that Notre Dame has faced this year, and I do not understand how the Cardinal managed to knock off USC and Oregon. Stanford ranks 126th in the nation in rushing, 127th in the nation in rush defense, are 11th in the Pac-12 in sacks, and 11th in sacks allowed. Marcus Freeman and the Notre Dame defense will be able to stop the run without committing extra defenders, force Stanford and QB Tanner McKee into third-and-long situations (that they only convert 33.8% of), and then bring creative pressures.
On the offensive side of the ball, Notre Dame will find plenty of success on the ground and use the rushing attack to set up the play action pass. I expect the Irish to top both 250 yards rushing and 250 yards passing in a blowout victory.
RYAN ROBERTS, RISENDRAFT
Prediction: Notre Dame 52, Stanford 13
This Stanford team is putrid. Defensively, they’re terrible and offensively, they aren’t much better. This should be no contest.
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