What Could Go Wrong For Notre Dame Against Boise State?

Boise State will not be afraid of Notre Dame Stadium

Unlike Notre Dame, Boise State doesn't have over 100 years of storied football lore. This is a program from a non-power four conference that, for many, entered the forefront of college football fans' collective minds in 2007, when the Broncos used multiple trick plays to beat the powerhouse Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl.

Since this bowl appearance, Boise State has adopted the "underdog" mentality and relishes it. The Broncos will not be afraid to play in South Bend, in fact, they'd love nothing more than to be the latest team to enter Notre Dame Stadium as a 20-point-plus underdog and leave with a win.

Notre Dame must respect Boise State, period.

Notre Dame defensive lineman Jordan Botelho (12) and defensive lineman Boubacar Traore (5) celebrate getting a stop during the first half of a NCAA football game against Purdue at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025, in South Bend. | MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Is Notre Dame's defense fixed?

After a very rough start to the season, the Irish defense has looked and played much better in its last six quarters, particularly against Arkansas. While there is no doubt this unit has tightened things up, it's still a long way from being trusted the way Irish fans could rely on 2024's unit.

The Irish are still very much a work in progress on this side of the ball, and that means that until further notice, I will be concerned about the Notre Dame defense. Boise State will try to run the football.

If Notre Dame can get penetration and hold the Broncos' ground attack to modest numbers, the Notre Dame secondary will have a great chance to take another big step forward on third downs. If not, trouble could be afoot.

What if Notre Dame's offense has an off or awful day?

Right now, CJ Carr is playing like a year four quarterback, not a game four quarterback. He has a dynamic stable of running backs behind him and more decent weapons to throw to than Irish fans are used to. The Notre Dame offensive line isn't elite at the moment, but it is playing much better as a group now than it did in the first couple of weeks of the season.

Over the last couple of games, the Irish offense has been the hottest one in the country, scoring 56 points in back-to-back weeks with a delightful balance between the run and pass. It's rare to see a new quarterback improve so rapidly week to week with no regression games at all.

While I have hope that CJ Carr is so good that he will continue to ascend weekly and not have a "rookie clunker" game, with the uncertainty that still lingers around the Notre Dame defense, mistakes offensively must be very limited if Notre Dame hopes to win each of its remaining games.

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