Well, look who’s coming to dinner. Thirty-eight years after No. 1 Miami rolled into South Bend and left with its national championship dreams in tatters, the Hurricanes are back on top of the AP poll. And wouldn’t you know it? Notre Dame is No. 4 again.
Of course, the College Football Playoff committee somehow has the Irish ranked 11th. Apparently, the folks in that room haven’t been watching the same football as the rest of us. But anyone taking an objective look at these two teams knows exactly how big this game is.
The stakes? Only Notre Dame’s playoff hopes, a little revenge for last year’s heartbreak and a chance to remind the college football world that rankings don’t win football games. Especially in Notre Dame Stadium on a Saturday night.
The Hurricanes have the No. 1 ranking. The Irish have 77,000 reasons to believe they can take it away. And our Fighting Irish Preview staff has a few opinions of its own.
Here are our picks.
Phil Houk — Senior Editor
Thirty-eight years ago, No. 1 Miami strutted into Notre Dame Stadium and got knocked off its pedestal by the fourth-ranked Irish. Saturday night, the AP rankings — the ones that still seem to follow some semblance of logic — are identical. A Notre Dame crowd that’s had this game circled for months will be absolutely unhinged.
Darian Mensah will still get his yards, but losing all-world receiver Malachi Toney is a significant blow to Miami’s explosive offense. And the Hurricanes apparently forgot that championship football requires defending the pass, too. Sure, they stop the run. But 122nd nationally against the pass? CJ Carr ought to be licking his chops.
Notre Dame has the nation’s best total defense, a quarterback who protects the football and 77,000 fans ready to make life miserable for Miami. The Hurricanes can bring their ranking, their hype and all their swagger. The Irish will bring the better team.
Same rankings as 1988. Not quite the same final score, but the same result.
Prediction: Notre Dame 31, Miami 28
Caleb Conrad — Senior Intern
With Notre Dame’s playoff hopes on the line, No. 1 Miami coming to South Bend, and a chance to get revenge for last season’s heartbreaker, the Irish have plenty to play for Saturday night.
Notre Dame has the talent. Now it’s time to show it can put everything together against a national contender. CJ Carr has to take advantage of Miami’s struggles against the pass, while Nolan James Jr. and Jonaz Walton will have to find ways to move the ball against the nation’s top rushing defense.
Notre Dame’s defense has to play four complete quarters. There is no room for slow starts or costly mistakes against an offense as talented as Miami’s.
The Irish faithful also have a role to play. Notre Dame Stadium needs to be rocking from the opening kickoff.
The Irish knock off the No. 1 team in the country and keep their playoff hopes alive.
Prediction: Notre Dame 35, Miami 28
Chad Ryan — Photojournalist / Multimedia Editor
I’ve never been one to believe in the idea that bulletin board material can influence a game. But if there ever was a time I’d revise that thought, it’s this game. After the disrespect shown in the initial CFP poll, still stinging from the BYU loss and the constant chatter about not playing anybody, I think Marcus Freeman and the boys take this one personally.
Since I’ve been immersed in baseball for the last month, I can’t confidently say it’ll be a big win as far as the score goes. I don’t know much about Miami. I do know they’re not good at defending against the pass, which plays into the hands of CJ Carr and Co. nicely.
I believe the Irish make the statement this week that a No. 11 initial CFP ranking is as ridiculous as it is blatantly wrong.
Prediction: Notre Dame 34, Miami 28
Jesse Craig — Webmaster
Well, here we are. All the chips on the table. I love this Notre Dame team. I think the talent is there to make a run, and I think they are good enough to beat Miami. With so many players and coaches returning from last year, you may think, “Why not Notre Dame?”
Unfortunately, whether it be questionable play-calling or terrible officiating in the key moments that decide games (see Miami/A&M last year and BYU this year), I don’t feel like the “Luck of the Irish” is with this great squad. This core hasn’t proven it can win against elite teams when adversity hits, even when the opportunity to snatch victory has presented itself.
Miami stuns ND in a heartbreaker at home.
Prediction: Miami 34, Notre Dame 31
Connor Fitzharris — Staff Writer
The biggest regular-season game of the Marcus Freeman era comes Saturday night under the lights in South Bend when the Irish host No. 1 Miami. Revenge from last year, College Football Playoff hopes on the line, you name it — this game has major implications for the Fighting Irish.
How will the Irish play under the pressure? Notre Dame will come to play, and it will come out on fire and angry. With Malachi Toney out due to injury, the Irish will still need to keep this Miami offense in check, as the Hurricanes have plenty of firepower.
Notre Dame has its own injury problems on the defensive side of the ball, but the Irish will make the plays necessary to defeat the No. 1 Miami Hurricanes.
Prediction: Notre Dame 37, Miami 30
Adam Schenkel — Producer / Audio Editor
This is the game that’s been circled on the calendar since the schedules were first released. November 7 is shaping up to be one of the best days of college football all season, with huge matchups from start to finish, but South Bend will be the epicenter of it all as No. 1 Miami visits No. 4 Notre Dame.
The Irish need this one more than the Hurricanes do, and I think the margin of victory or defeat could go a long way in determining where both teams land in the final College Football Playoff rankings.
Something tells me the Notre Dame offense is going to come out firing and put together its best performance of the season, but Miami isn’t going down without a fight. The Hurricanes will land some punches of their own and make things interesting late, but the Irish build just enough of a cushion early and hang on for a massive victory in South Bend.
Prediction: Notre Dame 33, Miami 30
AJ Houk — Photojournalist / Director of Brand Strategy
The line in the sand has been drawn: Notre Dame needs to beat Miami to make the College Football Playoff. But which Irish team is going to show up Saturday?
At BYU, Notre Dame played tentatively, and it showed in the result. Even with Miami’s key playmaker Malachi Toney out, the Irish cannot afford a slow start. They need to walk in expecting to win.
On the field, it all comes down to the trenches. Notre Dame must protect against an underperforming Miami defensive line and attack a porous secondary. If the Irish handle that and learn from the BYU letdown, they should come out on top.
Prediction: Notre Dame 34, Miami 24
The Final Byte
Six of our seven Fighting Irish Preview staff members are picking Notre Dame to knock off No. 1 Miami. And after examining the numbers, I’m making it seven of eight.
Miami’s offense is formidable, averaging 47.6 points and 534.9 yards per game. Darian Mensah has thrown 25 touchdown passes against just one interception. But those numbers were compiled with Malachi Toney, who accounted for 1,027 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns. His absence changes the equation considerably.
Notre Dame’s defense leads the nation in total yards allowed at 236.3 per game and ranks fifth in scoring defense at 13.4 points per game. Losing Drayk Bowen hurts, particularly against Miami’s rushing attack, but the Irish have the personnel and defensive depth to keep the Hurricanes from turning this into a shootout.
The decisive matchup, however, comes when Notre Dame has the football. Miami ranks No. 1 against the run but a staggering 122nd against the pass, allowing 251.9 yards per game. CJ Carr has thrown just one interception all season and has been sacked only twice. Against a vulnerable Miami secondary, that’s a significant advantage.
My analysis favors Notre Dame, although not by a comfortable margin. Miami will move the football, and Mensah is too talented to shut down completely. But Carr’s efficiency, Notre Dame’s defensive strength and the home-field advantage should be enough to swing this one toward the Irish.
The Final Byte Prediction: Notre Dame 34, Miami 27
Staff Consensus: Notre Dame 6, Miami 1
The Final Byte makes it seven picks for the Irish, one for the Hurricanes.
Thirty-eight years after the Irish shocked No. 1 Miami, the numbers suggest another memorable Saturday night in South Bend. This time, it won’t take a miracle. Just Notre Dame playing to its potential.
Well, look who’s coming to dinner. Thirty-eight years after No. 1 Miami rolled into South Bend and left with its national championship dreams in tatters, the Hurricanes are back on top of the AP poll. And wouldn’t you know it? Notre Dame is No. 4 again.
Of course, the College Football Playoff committee somehow has the Irish ranked 11th. Apparently, the folks in that room haven’t been watching the same football as the rest of us. But anyone taking an objective look at these two teams knows exactly how big this game is.
The stakes? Only Notre Dame’s playoff hopes, a little revenge for last year’s heartbreak and a chance to remind the college football world that rankings don’t win football games. Especially in Notre Dame Stadium on a Saturday night.
The Hurricanes have the No. 1 ranking. The Irish have 77,000 reasons to believe they can take it away. And our Fighting Irish Preview staff has a few opinions of its own.
Here are our picks.
Phil Houk — Senior Editor
Thirty-eight years ago, No. 1 Miami strutted into Notre Dame Stadium and got knocked off its pedestal by the fourth-ranked Irish. Saturday night, the AP rankings — the ones that still seem to follow some semblance of logic — are identical. A Notre Dame crowd that’s had this game circled for months will be absolutely unhinged.
Darian Mensah will still get his yards, but losing all-world receiver Malachi Toney is a significant blow to Miami’s explosive offense. And the Hurricanes apparently forgot that championship football requires defending the pass, too. Sure, they stop the run. But 122nd nationally against the pass? CJ Carr ought to be licking his chops.
Notre Dame has the nation’s best total defense, a quarterback who protects the football and 77,000 fans ready to make life miserable for Miami. The Hurricanes can bring their ranking, their hype and all their swagger. The Irish will bring the better team.
Same rankings as 1988. Not quite the same final score, but the same result.
Prediction: Notre Dame 31, Miami 28
Caleb Conrad — Senior Intern
With Notre Dame’s playoff hopes on the line, No. 1 Miami coming to South Bend, and a chance to get revenge for last season’s heartbreaker, the Irish have plenty to play for Saturday night.
Notre Dame has the talent. Now it’s time to show it can put everything together against a national contender. CJ Carr has to take advantage of Miami’s struggles against the pass, while Nolan James Jr. and Jonaz Walton will have to find ways to move the ball against the nation’s top rushing defense.
Notre Dame’s defense has to play four complete quarters. There is no room for slow starts or costly mistakes against an offense as talented as Miami’s.
The Irish faithful also have a role to play. Notre Dame Stadium needs to be rocking from the opening kickoff.
The Irish knock off the No. 1 team in the country and keep their playoff hopes alive.
Prediction: Notre Dame 35, Miami 28
Jesse Craig — Webmaster
Well, here we are. All the chips on the table. I love this Notre Dame team. I think the talent is there to make a run, and I think they are good enough to beat Miami. With so many players and coaches returning from last year, you may think, “Why not Notre Dame?”
Unfortunately, whether it be questionable play-calling or terrible officiating in the key moments that decide games (see Miami/A&M last year and BYU this year), I don’t feel like the “Luck of the Irish” is with this great squad. This core hasn’t proven it can win against elite teams when adversity hits, even when the opportunity to snatch victory has presented itself.
Miami stuns ND in a heartbreaker at home.
Prediction: Miami 34, Notre Dame 31
Connor Fitzharris — Staff Writer
The biggest regular-season game of the Marcus Freeman era comes Saturday night under the lights in South Bend when the Irish host No. 1 Miami. Revenge from last year, College Football Playoff hopes on the line, you name it — this game has major implications for the Fighting Irish.
How will the Irish play under the pressure? Notre Dame will come to play, and it will come out on fire and angry. With Malachi Toney out due to injury, the Irish will still need to keep this Miami offense in check, as the Hurricanes have plenty of firepower.
Notre Dame has its own injury problems on the defensive side of the ball, but the Irish will make the plays necessary to defeat the No. 1 Miami Hurricanes.
Prediction: Notre Dame 37, Miami 30
Adam Schenkel — Producer / Audio Editor
This is the game that’s been circled on the calendar since the schedules were first released. November 7 is shaping up to be one of the best days of college football all season, with huge matchups from start to finish, but South Bend will be the epicenter of it all as No. 1 Miami visits No. 4 Notre Dame.
The Irish need this one more than the Hurricanes do, and I think the margin of victory or defeat could go a long way in determining where both teams land in the final College Football Playoff rankings.
Something tells me the Notre Dame offense is going to come out firing and put together its best performance of the season, but Miami isn’t going down without a fight. The Hurricanes will land some punches of their own and make things interesting late, but the Irish build just enough of a cushion early and hang on for a massive victory in South Bend.
Prediction: Notre Dame 33, Miami 30
AJ Houk — Photojournalist / Director of Brand Strategy
The line in the sand has been drawn: Notre Dame needs to beat Miami to make the College Football Playoff. But which Irish team is going to show up Saturday?
At BYU, Notre Dame played tentatively, and it showed in the result. Even with Miami’s key playmaker Malachi Toney out, the Irish cannot afford a slow start. They need to walk in expecting to win.
On the field, it all comes down to the trenches. Notre Dame must protect against an underperforming Miami defensive line and attack a porous secondary. If the Irish handle that and learn from the BYU letdown, they should come out on top.
Prediction: Notre Dame 34, Miami 24
The Final Byte
Five of our six Fighting Irish Preview staff members are picking Notre Dame to knock off No. 1 Miami. And after examining the numbers, I’m making it six of seven.
Miami’s offense is formidable, averaging 47.6 points and 534.9 yards per game. Darian Mensah has thrown 25 touchdown passes against just one interception. But those numbers were compiled with Malachi Toney, who accounted for 1,027 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns. His absence changes the equation considerably.
Notre Dame’s defense leads the nation in total yards allowed at 236.3 per game and ranks fifth in scoring defense at 13.4 points per game. Losing Drayk Bowen hurts, particularly against Miami’s rushing attack, but the Irish have the personnel and defensive depth to keep the Hurricanes from turning this into a shootout.
The decisive matchup, however, comes when Notre Dame has the football. Miami ranks No. 1 against the run but a staggering 122nd against the pass, allowing 251.9 yards per game. CJ Carr has thrown just one interception all season and has been sacked only twice. Against a vulnerable Miami secondary, that’s a significant advantage.
My analysis favors Notre Dame, although not by a comfortable margin. Miami will move the football, and Mensah is too talented to shut down completely. But Carr’s efficiency, Notre Dame’s defensive strength and the home-field advantage should be enough to swing this one toward the Irish.
The Final Byte Prediction: Notre Dame 34, Miami 27
Staff Consensus: Notre Dame 5, Miami 1
The Final Byte makes it six picks for the Irish, one for the Hurricanes.
Thirty-eight years after the Irish shocked No. 1 Miami, the numbers suggest another memorable Saturday night in South Bend. This time, it won’t take a miracle. Just Notre Dame playing to its potential.