David Pollack predicts outcome of Notre Dame-Miami in Week 1

Week 1 of the 2025 college football season is finally here, and a top-10 matchup between No. 6 Notre Dame and No. 10 Miami will round out a highly-anticipated opening weekend of action.

Head coach Mario Cristobal's Hurricanes are coming off the program's best season (10-3) since 2017 and are expected to contend for an ACC title and their first College Football Playoff appearance.

Notre Dame found even more success in 2024 under head coach Marcus Freeman, who led the Irish to the national championship game after posting an 11-win regular season.

Both programs underwent significant changes at quarterback in the offseason after the NFL departures of Notre Dame's Riley Leonard and Miami's Cam Ward. Georgia transfer Carson Beck now holds the keys for the Hurricanes while freshman CJ Carr has been called upon by the Irish.

College football analyst David Pollack believes that having Beck's experience is an extreme edge for Miami in this matchup.

Miami quarterback Carson Beck | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

"I'm going Miami, and I know this is a change for people to believe in Miami," Pollack said on "See Ball Get Ball." It's a change for me to believe in Miami. But I do think they have an extreme edge at quarterback. I think their line of scrimmage, on both sides, can hold up."

Beck holds a 24-3 career record as a starter and led the SEC in passing in 2023. Inconsistencies plagued the former four-star last season, but at the very least, Beck has shown he can rise to the occasion in big games.

That aspect is unknown for Carr, a former four-star who didn't record a statistic in one appearance for the Irish as a true freshman last season. The 6-foot-3, 210-pound passer will have a lot thrown at him by a Miami defense that's been overhauled by new coordinator Corey Hetherman.

Elswhere, though, Freeman and Co. have built another talented roster, one that's led by a suffocating defense. It wouldn't be a surprise to see the Irish cause problems for Beck and find some running lanes for star tailback Jeremiyah Love.

Kickoff is slated for Sunday at 7:30 p.m. ET (ABC). The Irish are listed as 2.5-point favorites, per ESPN BET.

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