Arguably, the Fighting Irish may not have to fight very hard this weekend. While Notre Dame has been flying high, Stanford has spent much of the season grounded. The Cardinal travel to Indiana to face the No. 3 Fighting Irish, and based on how these two teams have performed so far, it's hard to find a much wider gap between opponents.
The Cardinal enter Saturday’s matchup at 2-3 and have been outscored 191-87, averaging just 17.4 points per game. Things have been even uglier away from home, where Stanford has managed only 10 total points in two road contests while allowing 92. Notre Dame, meanwhile, has been dominant, outscoring opponents 206-59 through five games while averaging 41.2 points and allowing just 11.8 per game. That gap widens even further in South Bend, where the Irish have overwhelmed visitors by a combined score of 140-23. With wins over two Power 4 opponents and Rice at home, Notre Dame’s numbers are not simply the product of weak competition. If recent trends continue, this weekend should provide another opportunity for the Irish to add to their monstrous statistics and reinforce their dominance.
It could be argued that Stanford's breakthrough moment is not far away, but it likely won't come this weekend. The Cardinal have struggled too much on the road, while Notre Dame has been too dominant at home, where its defense has looked more like an iron wall than a unit opponents can consistently move the ball against. Stanford may land a punch or two and keep things competitive early, but I see the Irish pulling away and winning by as many as 42 points, comfortably covering the spread.
Notre Dame vs Stanford prediction: Notre Dame -38.5 (-105) available at time of publishing. Playable to -40 (-110).
