Stanford Is A Perfect Opponent For Notre Dame This Week

The Irish have one more tune-up game before the first huge test of the year at BYU, and it's time to take advantage of that opportunity

Oct 3, 2026; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish wide receiver Jordan Faison (6) and linebacker Drayk Bowen (34) and safety Adon Shuler (8) walk on to the field at Kenan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Notre Dame's battle with North Carolina ended up being a healthy test for the third-ranked Irish. The elements were tough, the Tar Heels put up a great fight, and Notre Dame made some atypical mistakes. Yet, Notre Dame was able to overcome it all to notch its 15th straight double-digit win in a row.

Next up, the Irish head back home to meet up with a Stanford team that just lost 57-3 to Wake Forest.

While I'm not sure this game will be full of drama and stress, Notre Dame can certainly use it as a final preparation test to gain full confidence and momentum heading into Provo, to clean up some of the sloppiness that showed itself in rainy North Carolina, and to lean into and groove some strengths as well.

Has Notre Dame found its running game?

Notre Dame's run game, or lack thereof, has been a concern and point of emphasis through the first four games this season. In game five, things seemed to click.

The Irish busted out for 241 rushing yards, with Jonaz Walto leading the way with 120 yards of his own. This is progress, major progress for Notre Dame. Now it's time to stack impressive performances.

The offensive line appeared to be more in sync and in rhythm, pushing downhill, leading to this 241-yard output, and I'm looking for more of the same against the Cardinal, which surrendered just under 200 yards on the ground to Wake Forest.

Stacking back-to-back successful games on the ground is exactly what I want to see from Notre Dame before the trip to BYU, and I think it's coming, and all three backs will have chances to shine and feel great about their games before the first big test of the year.

Confident in our run game 💪#GoIrish☘️ pic.twitter.com/yHuJv8dNCg

— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) October 4, 2026

Notre Dame's defense and special teams will get back to their normal form

Notre Dame's defense and special teams didn't have their sharpest day against North Carolina. The defense surrendered way too much easy passing yardage in the middle of the field due to being out of position and not recognizing their keys.

I expect this to be cleaned up against Stanford and to look much more like the lockdown unit we expect to see.

As for the Irish special teams, sure, the weather made snaps and holds trickier than normal, but that's no excuse to give up a touchdown on the opening kickoff of the third quarter.

I expect Marty Biagi's group to tighten things back up this week and be the plus group we've become accustomed to.

The Stanford game isn't exciting on paper, and the Cardinal appear to be bad at football once again, but there is much to be gained by Notre Dame having a great day heading into the first matchup that truly moved the needle in the 2026 season. Momentum is real in college football, and the Irish can gain plenty of it in this week's game.