Irish Breakdown

Pregame Buzz Surges as Notre Dame Prepares for Texas A&M Clash

Notre Dame and Texas A&M are set for a top 20 battle in South Bend on Saturday
Nick Shepkowski|
Aug 31, 2025; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish wide receiver Jordan Faison (6) scores a touchdown against the Miami Hurricanes during the third quarter at Hard Rock Stadium.
Aug 31, 2025; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish wide receiver Jordan Faison (6) scores a touchdown against the Miami Hurricanes during the third quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

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Notre Dame Fighting IrishTexas A&M Aggies

For a Week 3 game, things don't get a whole lot bigger for Notre Dame than Saturday night's showdown with Texas A&M. The Fighting Irish enter at 0-1, losing in Week 1 at Miami and having last week off, while the Aggies are 2-0 after wins over UTSA and Utah State.

I don't fall on the side of Saturday being a must-win for Notre Dame in order to make the College Football Playoff, but not all CFP entries are the same. A loss wouldn't eliminate the Irish from making the field, but would almost certainly guarantee it won't host a first-round playoff game, making a postseason run that much more difficult.

Notre Dame - Texas A&M: Kickoff Time, TV Information

Kickoff is set for just after 7:30 p.m. ET in South Bend on Saturday, and the game can be seen as usual on NBC or Peacock. Notre Dame remains a 6.5-point favorite as of Friday night, and looks to even up it's regular season record at 1-1.

Notre Dame - Texas A&M: ESPN FPI Odds

The game has significant implications on the College Football Playoff, something both teams aspire to reach this year. ESPN's Football Power Index (FPI) currently gives Notre Dame a 23.8% chance to make the playoff, and Texas A&M a 20.8% shot. A win by either would obviously go a long way in boosting either's playoff chances.

For the game itself, FPI gives Notre Dame a 71.2% chance at victory and Texas A&M just a 28.8% shot.

Notre Dame - Texas A&M: Pregame Buzz on Social Media

Notre Dame Football Hype Video

"You hear Notre Dame, you think college football!" - Rece Davis

Texas A&M Fans Invade Wrigley Field in Chicago

As expected, plenty of Texas A&M faithful have appeared to make the trip north for the weekend. In terms of an ultimate sports weekend, the Friday, 1:20 club on Chicago's north side, followed by a short drive down the Indiana toll road for a Notre Dame game in prime time, is tough to beat.

Notre Dame at Night Under Marcus Freeman

Years later, that Stanford loss only sticks out more.

Dick Vitale and Lou Holtz are Back on Campus

Towels For Fans on Saturday Night

Are the Hoosiers faithful going to be upset and claim they invented towels again upon seeing this?

Incoming to South Bend International

Not many days on the calendar are better than that of the first home game of the year. If you're attendin,g be sure to be loud and enjoy - and if you're into that kind of thing, take advantage of alcohol being sold in Notre Dame Stadium for the first time.

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Nick Shepkowski
NICK SHEPKOWSKI

Managing Editor for Notre Dame On SI. Started covering Chicago sports teams for WSCR the Score, and over the years worked with CBS Radio, Audacy, NBC Sports, and FOX Sports as a contributor before running the Notre Dame wire site for USA TODAY.

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