Everything You Need to Know Ahead of Notre Dame at Stanford

Confidence is high for Stanford football. Beating the California Golden Bears to take back the Stanford Axe for the first time since 2020, the Cardinal are riding high heading into their final game of the 2025 season. But the Cardinal are set to face arguably their toughest test of the year, a matchup against No. 9 Notre Dame.

Facing a team with major College Football Playoff implications on the line, the Cardinal will surely face the best version of Notre Dame this weekend. The national runner-ups last season, losing to Ohio State in the national championship game, the Fighting Irish are hungry and need a win if they want any chance of running it back.

The Cardinal will use the final game of the season as a momentum boost heading into what will be a pivotal offseason. Stanford named their next head coach on Friday afternoon, bringing back Tavita Pritchard from the Washington Commanders.

For Notre Dame, a 70-7 win over Syracuse last week proves just how good they are, and how prepared Stanford needs to be if they want to have a chance. Listed as major underdogs but faring well at home, the Cardinal are ready to continue that trend and surprise people this weekend.

Here is everything you need to know about Stanford's upcoming matchup against Notre Dame.

Game Information

When: Saturday, Nov. 29, 7:30 p.m. (PT)

Where: Stanford Stadium

How to Watch: ESPN

Spread: Notre Dame (-32.5)

Moneyline: Notre Dame (-11111), Stanford (+2700)

Total: O/U 51.5

*Betting odds provided by Fox Sports and are used here as a reference point, not betting advice*

Players to Watch - Stanford

RB Micah Ford

Stanford has not had a 1,000 yard rusher since 2017 and with only one game left to play this season, it appears that the streak will continue. But in 2025, a big reason for that has been the fact that Stanford has been using more of a running back by committee approach, with the workhorse being the guy with the hot hand.

And while Ford has struggled at times, he has been very good overall and has 145 carries for 643 yards and four touchdowns, with his 4.4 yards per carry mainly because of the inconsistencies on the offensive line. He also missed a pair of games against Miami and Pittsburgh.

But with Cardinal's line finally being fully healthy against Cal, Ford went off, with 29 carries for 150 yards and a touchdown. If Stanford is healthy on the line this week, Ford could look to really prove himself against a good Notre Dame defense.

Running the ball has been a struggle for Stanford with a depleted offensive line, but if they can run it well this week, the game score could be a lot closer than people expect.

K Emmet Kenney

Starting his career as the backup to Joshua Karty, Kenney took over as the starting kicker last season and took the college football world by storm, earning two ACC Specialist of the Week awards and kicking the game winning field goal in two of Stanford's upset wins over Syracuse and Louisville. But 2025 has been much different for Kenney, who has struggled with consistency.

Converting only 73% of his field goals, Kenney has missed one field goal of 20-29 yards, two between 30-39 yards and two between 40-49 yards, with his longest field goal coming from 46 yards (52 last season). Kenney entered the season as an NFL Draft prospect and still could be, but needs a big game against Notre Dame to really prove it.

Kicking can be an overlooked position, but if a team has kicking problems, it will be noticeable. While Kenney has had his moments, he has not been nearly as good as last season, and is one to keep an eye on against the Irish in a game where every point matters if Stanford hopes to have a shot.

WR CJ Williams

Williams' college career has been an interesting one. Starting off at USC, Williams then transferred to Wisconsin but was unable to find his footing there, never managing to crack the starting lineup. Transferring to Stanford, Williams needed to step up immediately, given the amount of receivers that the Cardinal lost after last season. And so far, Williams has been a star on The Farm.

Catching 58 passes for 735 yards and six touchdowns, Williams has become the top pass catcher on the Cardinal this season. Coming off of a big game against Cal where he caught five passes for 76 yards and a touchdown, Williams' confidence is high right now and he will look to end the season on a high note.

Williams started the season slowly, making just eight catches for 62 total yards in the first three games combined, but since finding his groove against Virginia, he has been a pivotal part of Stanford's offense. The Cardinal are ready to surprise people this weekend, and for that to happen, Williams' impact will be very important.

Players to Watch - Notre Dame

QB CJ Carr

The fourth string quarterback during Notre Dame's national championship game run last season, Carr enters his first season as the starting quarterback ready to prove that he can keep the run of success going. And as a former four-star recruit, Carr has lived up to the expectations so far.

Throwing for 2,536 yards, 22 touchdowns and only six interceptions, Carr's play has been very solid. While the Irish started off 0-2, he has since settled in and been a big reason why the Fighting Irish have won nine straight. Notre Dame needs a win this week to keep its CFP hopes alive, and will lean heavily on Carr this week to make plays and come up clutch.

Notre Dame's offense as a whole is very good, and while the running game is certainly the biggest strength for them, Stanford cannot underestimate the Irish passing game, or else it will be a very, very long night on The Farm.

Running back tandem of Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price

Last season, Ohio State won the national title in large part because they had arguably the best running back duo in Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson. This year, Notre Dame takes the cake for the nation's most lethal running back room, with both Love and Price putting together dominant seasons.

Carrying the ball 185 times for 1,306 yards and 17 touchdowns while averaging 7.1 yards per carry, Love has been the clear workhorse for the Irish and will almost certainly be a first round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Putting together a 228 yard game with five touchdowns against USC, Love has proven he can dominate against any opponent. Price has 107 carries for 659 yards and 10 touchdowns, and while he has not caused the same damage as Love, he has still been a very challenging player to face.

Stanford needs to expect that Notre Dame will run the ball a lot. The Cardinal have been strong at defending the run over the last few weeks, but no test will be tougher than this. In order to win, containing this duo will be vital for the Cardinal.

CB Leonard Moore

A freshman All-American last season, Moore played a big role immediately upon joining Notre Dame's program, and has been a big reason why Notre Dame's defense has been so dominant over the last couple of seasons. And in his second season, Moore has gotten even better and has looked even more like a future NFL prospect.

Having four interceptions, a defensive touchdown and a forced fumble, Moore has created problems for opponents, and his lower tackle total of 26 shows just how often opposing quarterbacks avoid his side of the field.

Coming off of a big game against Syracuse where he had a pick six in the 70-7 win, Moore will be very confident going into this weekend. Since he is expected to guard Stanford's top receiver, expect the Cardinal to resort to some creativity to combat that. A superstar in the world of college football, Moore will be a big player to watch.

By the Numbers

39 - Number of Times These Two Teams Will Have Played Each Other

One of the most storied rivalries in college football, Stanford and Notre Dame will meet for the 39th time on Saturday, with the Cardinal back at home for the first time since the 2023 edition. Notre Dame leads the all-time series 23-14, leading the trophy series 20-13. The first-ever meeting between the two schools was on January 1, 1925 in the 1925 Rose Bowl with Notre Dame winning 27-10.

2017 - Last Time Stanford Beat Notre Dame at Home

Despite winning the 2022 matchup, the Cardinal have not beat Notre Dame at home since 2017 when they won 38-20. That win was the final in a stretch where Stanford beat Notre Dame seven times in a nine year span. Since then, Notre Dame has won five of the last six matchups.

1989 - First Year that the Legends Trophy Was Presented

While the two schools have played each other off-and-on since 1925, the official trophy for the game dubbed the 'Legends Trophy' was not awarded until 1989.

Created by the Notre Dame Club of the San Francisco Bay Area, the trophy is made of Northern California redwood with an Irish crystal bowl. It is also named in honor of the 1925 Rose Bowl meeting, which sportswriters said contained more legends on one field than in any game ever played.

Score Prediction

Notre Dame 42, Stanford 10

When Stanford traveled to South Bend last season, it did not end well. Losing 49-7, the Cardinal were not competitive at any point in the game and were completely outclassed by the Fighting Irish for all four quarters, in all three phases. The loss was part of a four game stretch where the Cardinal lost to Clemson, Virginia Tech, Notre Dame and SMU in consecutive weeks.

This year however, even with this being the program's final one under the direction of Frank Reich, the Cardinal will look to show just how far they have come as a program under the tutelage of general manager Andrew Luck, and get the upset win—or at least make it a close game.

Last year's game may have been a major low point, but the Cardinal could make this game a highlight moment if they play their best brand of football.

Stanford has shown improvement in a lot of ways, but Notre Dame is a team that continues to show why it is a top team in college football. Boasting the Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price running back duo, that in it and itself will be a challenge for the Cardinal.

Add that to Notre Dame being a strong passing team, and the Cardinal defense will have its work cut out. But a big game against Cal could mean the Cardinal defense comes in extra motivated.

Notre Dame is also a good team defensively, which could force Stanford's offense to get creative. Notre Dame is a dominant team in all three phases, and while the Cardinal have shown that they can compete against anybody, this game will be a tough one. Notre Dame needs a win to keep their CFP hopes alive, and will play like it. This one could get ugly.