Can the Eagles fly into South Bend and knock the Irish off their high perch? After all, there are plenty of examples of teams coming off huge wins and slipping up the following week, losing sight of their purpose and focus. Unfortunately for the Boston College faithful, it's going to take a lot more than history and trends to stop a disciplined and talented Notre Dame team. Can BC cover, at least? There’s a lot of points to lay here under any circumstances. Then again, what Marcus Freeman has built at the University of Notre Dame is operating on a completely different level than what even the nation's No. 1 teams have been able to handle. The Eagles may look a little better than many expect this week, but in the end, 29 points won't be enough in my opinion.
It's been nearly 40 years since Notre Dame last hoisted a national championship trophy. If the Irish hope to end that drought, games like this are exactly the kind they must dominate. I have a feeling everyone in that locker room understands this and will be well prepared. There's no use in climbing into the Top 5 and knocking off the nation's No. 1 team only to suffer an embarrassment of any kind on your own field the following week. Once the machine that is Notre Dame's offense and defense gets rolling, it will be very difficult to stop. The likely result is the Fighting Irish leading by four touchdowns and a field goal, or more.
It's true that a spread this large can seem like a significant obstacle. Not only does a team need to be capable of putting up that many points, but it also has to be motivated to keep scoring. It's precisely because most believe Notre Dame won't need to keep its foot on the gas that I think the Irish will do exactly that. They know all eyes will be on them, and they understand the importance of making a statement. The way I see it, that statement comes in the form of a decisive win over Boston College by 29 points or more.
Notre dame vs Boston College prediction: Notre Dame -28.5 (-110) available at time of publishing. Playable to -29.5 (-115).
