It’s always nice to know that, as the saying goes, no matter how much things change, some things always stay the same. So even if Stanford, a school on the Pacific Coast, is now playing in the Atlantic Coast Conference, it can keep its rivalry with a school 2,300 miles away (which is closer than any other ACC team aside from Cal) going thanks to a scheduling agreement between Notre Dame and a conference it refuses to join!
College football in 2024, ladies and gentlemen. Anyway, Stanford is making one of what will be many trips east to face No. 11 Notre Dame in a game that’s always big, no matter the national stakes. Still, it’s pretty important for Notre Dame to get a win here, as home losses to Northern Illinois don’t leave you with much margin of error when you’re trying to keep your College Football Playoff hopes alive.
As for Stanford, things have been up and down this season. The Cardinal began life in the ACC with a road win over Syracuse, but have followed up with consecutive losses to Clemson and Virginia Tech, getting outscored 71-21 in the process. They’ll have to play much better football this weekend if they want to avoid a similar result.
How to watch Notre Dame vs. Stanford live
Date: Saturday, Oct. 12 | Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
Location: Notre Dame Stadium — South Bend, Indiana
TV: NBC | Live stream: fubo (Try for free)
Notre Dame vs. Stanford: Need to know
Notre Dame has won 19 straight home games against ACC opponents: My mind still hasn’t totally processed that Stanford is now an ACC opponent, but it is, and that’s not good news for the Cardinal considering how ACC teams typically fare in South Bend. The Irish haven’t lost at home to an ACC team since falling to Virginia Tech during the 2016 season. However, they have lost two of their last three home games against Stanford! The Cardinal beat the Irish in 2016 and in their last meeting at Notre Dame Stadium in 2022.
Stanford has lost eight straight road games against ranked opponents: You don’t see teams typically perform well on the road against ranked teams, but you don’t see a lot of eight-game losing streaks either. The Cardinal haven’t beaten a ranked team on the road since upsetting No. 14 USC 42-28 in 2021. Making matters worse, the eight losses since haven’t exactly been competitive affairs. Stanford’s lost them by an average of 28.9 points per game.
Stanford should have QB Ashton Daniels back: Ashton Daniels suffered an injury late in Stanford’s loss to Clemson and missed last week’s game against Virginia Tech. He’s expected to return for this game, which will help Stanford’s cause. Daniels’ dual-threat ability makes the Cardinals offense more difficult to defend, and odds are they’ll need his legs to extend drives against a strong Irish defense.
Notre Dame vs. Stanford prediction, picks
I’m taking the Cardinal to cover the spread, but it’s not due to faith in Stanford as much as the style of play. Notre Dame’s offense is heavily reliant on the ground game, and quarterback Riley Leonard is the team’s leading rusher. Stanford isn’t likely to try to air it out against this Irish defense, so I don’t know that either team will be able to pull away from the other. At least, not enough to cover 23.5 points. Pick: Stanford +23.5
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