Why Notre Dame Will Not Fall Victim To The Boston College Trap

Heading into Notre Dame's season-defining battle with Miami, very little attention was given to the three games on the schedule after Miami, and for good reason. If the Irish had lost to the Hurricanes, the remaining games would have meant very little in the grand scheme of things, as the Irish would likely have been out of CFP contention.

Once the initial adulation and celebration of the Miami win began to subside, Irish eyes began to focus on Boston College, SMU, and Syracuse as the final roadblocks between Notre Dame and a favorable CFP seeding.

As for Boston College specifically, I feel that Notre Dame will be ready for the challenge and will avoid repeating the nightmare trap the 1993 Irish team fell into, losing to the Eagles at home a week after taking down number one, under nearly identical circumstances. Here's why.

Notre Dame now has clarity, and that leads to velocity

Heading into the Miami tilt, the entire Notre Dame world was on pause. With an initial CFP ranking of 11, the Irish had to win the ballgame to stay in the CFP hunt.

There was uncertainty. Would the Irish play differently than they did vs. BYU in the only other "big" game of the year, or would we see a repeat of the sluggish BYU performance leading to another missed CFP for the second year in a row?

Fortunately, Notre Dame put together its best performance of the year, with the defense being ultra-aggressive, making splash plays and flying around the field with intensity. And offensively, the Notre Dame run game did enough to enable CJ Carr to pass his way back to the top of the Heisman hopeful list.

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After this jolt of positive energy and big game success, Notre Dame now knows its mission. It knows it's good enough to compete for a title and very clearly knows that if it wins three more games, CFP entry awaits.

I'm convinced this mission clarity and the momentum gained from the entire Miami experience will lead to a focused Irish team that is just now hitting its stride and still has more to prove. This team will not suffer a season-ruining letdown.

Notre Dame men ☘️

Vote for CJ Carr and Leonard Moore ➡️ https://t.co/no6sySjM0m #GoIrish☘️ | @13Cjcarr | @LeonardKevMoore pic.twitter.com/ZDhzyqpmn5
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) November 11, 2026

Notre Dame is simply a much better team than Boston College

Notre Dame proving it can handle success mentally and emotionally as a program is one part of the equation, but the other part of the dynamic is much more tangible. Notre Dame and Boston College are operating at opposite ends of the college football spectrum. The Irish simply have a much deeper and better roster, even when considering the defensive injuries Notre Dame is dealing with.

I expect the Notre Dame defense to handle the moment against the Eagles. Boston College's quarterback Mason McKenzie has thrown 10 touchdowns this year and eight interceptions.

He's also the team's leading rusher. I expect the Irish to be stout against the run on early downs and then hunt on third-down passing situations. This is a winning formula.

Offensively, I expect a balanced attack with the run game setting up play action for CJ Carr, who will take advantage. Notre Dame has battled back too far to fall short of its CFP goals now. Notre Dame will avoid the BC trap, and Irish momentum continues to build.

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