Game Prediction: No. 8 Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. Toledo Rockets
Notre Dame snuck by Florida State in a dramatic, overtime affair last week. The Irish are trying to take a step forward and become a legitimate national championship contender, rather than a team that is capable of qualifying for the 4-team College Football Playoff each year.
Here's what the BuckeyesNow staff expects from the Irish after a narrow Week 1 win in Tallahassee.
TOLEDO at NOTRE DAME – Saturday, 2:30 p.m.
Spread: Notre Dame (-17.0)
O/U Total: 55.5
Brendan Gulick: Notre Dame 41, Toledo 20
Jack Coan and Kyle Hamilton were awfully impressive in their Week 1 debuts, weren't they?
I think Toledo is actually a pretty good MAC team and could give the Irish a game for a little while. But this game is an auto-cover for me. There's no way Notre Dame wins this game by fewer than 17 points. Their size and physicality will wear the Rockets down late in the game.
Also, get used to games exclusively streaming on platforms like PEACOCK. I have a hunch that's going to happen a lot more than you think in the next few years.
Andrew Lind: Notre Dame 45, Toledo 21
Nobody will be able to see it, since the game is being streamed exclusively on Peacock Premium. But Notre Dame should bounce back nicely from a closer-than-expected win over Florida State and roll past Toledo.
The Rockets are among the nation’s most-experienced teams, and their balanced offensive attack should keep the game close for two or so quarters. But I expect safety Kyle Hamilton to have his fingerprints all over this game, once again picking off two passes for the Fighting Irish, including one that he’ll return for a touchdown to break the game open.
Brett Hiltbrand: Notre Dame 40, Toledo 14
I saw this tweet last week and it sums up my feelings about Notre Dame's new quarterback completely. "It looks like Wisconsin didn't have a Jack Coan problem. Jack Coan had a Wisconsin problem." I don't remember who tweeted that, but they won the weekend and hats off to them.
Man, that ND-FSU game was awesome and everything we hoped for despite Brian Kelly's complete lack of self-awareness or comedic timing. Toledo has a good coach in Jason Candle, but this is an auto-cover for me.
Caleb Spinner: Notre Dame 38, Toledo 14
The Irish should have no problem keeping the Rockets on the launch pad, even considering the close win against Florida State that had many Irish fans on the edge of their seat. There was rust on Notre Dames gears, and over the course of that game, Notre Dame fell into form. Irish cover the spread easily and win, 38-14.
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