How Notre Dame’s complete slate of opponents fares each week is becoming less and less important. A few of them remain pertinent to any discussions regarding worthwhile wins, but at least half the schedule is merely conversational filler at this point. If some of those entries become briefer with time, that is the reasoning.
Just how many times can it be said North Carolina is having a terrible season, anyway? And is that a harsh reflection on the word terrible?
As a whole, Irish foes fared well last weekend, finishing 6-2 when not including Notre Dame’s defeat of North Carolina State. This coming weekend does not bode to conclude as well, with only three favored of nine playing (again, not including this week’s Irish guest, Wake Forest). Four of those underdogs, though, could notch season-altering wins and further bolster any Notre Dame claim to a schedule so strong it warrants inclusion in the College Football Playoff despite its blemished record.
Temple (3-5): The Owls return from their bye all-but needing a win to keep bowl hopes alive. Undefeated No. 15 Central Florida awaits Temple on Nov. 18. If presuming that is a loss waiting to happen, the Owls need to win all their other games, including Thursday against Navy (8 p.m. ET, ESPN). As eight-point underdogs, though, that seems somewhat unlikely. A combined points total over/under of 55 equals a 31-23 conclusion.
Georgia (8-0): Some of these entries are getting shorter because the teams are plain bad. The summaries of the Bulldogs’ victories get repetitive because they are brutally-familiar at this point. Georgia beat Florida 42-7 on Saturday, jumping out to a 42-0 lead thanks to two forced turnovers and 137 yards and two touchdowns from senior running back Sony Michel. He needed all of six carries to inflict that damage.
The Bulldogs cruised so easily backup Gators quarterback and former Notre Dame starter Malik Zaire attempted one pass fewer than Georgia starter Jake Fromm did. Fromm finished 4-of-7 for 101 yards with a touchdown and an interception. The Bulldogs did not need him much. Zaire finished 3-of-6 for 36 yards in the blowout.
Now Georgia readies for one of its toughest challenges of the season in South Carolina (3:30 p.m. ET, CBS). Despite the Gamecocks presenting a stiffer test than Florida may have, the Bulldogs are favored by a whopping 24.5 points in a game with a low over/under of 46. A 35-10 finish may be accurate, but the game itself will hardly be that competitive.
Boston College (5-4): Who are these Eagles and what did they do with the bumbling Boston College seen earlier this season? To extend their winning streak to three, the Eagles routed Florida State 35-3 on Friday. Freshman running back AJ Dillon led the way with 33 carries for 149 yards and a touchdown, part of a ground effort that gained 241 yards on 55 attempts, holding the ball for 35:15.
Not to be outdone, the Boston College defense forced three turnovers.
Eagles head coach Steve Addazio can enjoy this victory for a bit with Boston College on bye this weekend.
Michigan State (6-2): Spartan hopes of reaching the College Football Playoff fell by the wayside thanks to a triple-overtime 39-31 loss at Northwestern. Michigan State sophomore quarterback Brian Lewerke did all he could to keep the Spartans in the game, throwing for 445 yards and a touchdown on 39-of-57 passing, but his offense managed only 95 rushing yards and turned over the ball three times.
Michigan State’s hopes of winning the Big Ten remain intact, though. That path commences at noon ET on Saturday (FOX) against Penn State. The Spartans are 7.5-point underdogs with an over/under of 49. If they could find a way to turn the tables of a 28-21 conclusion, they would still control their own chances at winning the conference.
Miami (OH) (3-5): The RedHawks come off their bye week hoping junior quarterback Gus Ragland is healthy enough to lead an upset of Ohio tonight (8 p.m. ET, ESPN 2). That’s right folks, we have reached the time of year when there is football on national television each and every night of the week. It will not last long, so enjoy the luxuries provided by MACtion while they last.
Miami is a 9.5-point underdog with an over/under of 55.5, hinting at a 32-23 final score.
North Carolina (1-8): The Tar Heels actually had a chance against Miami (FL) on Saturday, but they could not convert two early scoring opportunities to their maximum potential, instead settling for field goals to take a 6-0 lead. The Hurricanes then responded to take a 17-6 lead and that was about that en route to a 24-19 Miami victory. The score wasn’t even that close, with a late touchdown diminishing North Carolina’s deficit.
Here is the good news for the Tar Heels: They will not lose this week. They have it off.
USC (7-2): In a year in which the Rose Bowl will not necessarily host the traditional Big 10 champion vs. Pac-12 champion matchup, Notre Dame is still watching those two conferences intently. Much like Michigan State’s, the Trojans kept their conference hopes alive by topping Arizona State 48-17. Junior running back Ronald Jones ran for 216 yards and two touchdowns on only 18 carries while junior quarterback Sam Darnold threw for 266 yards and three touchdowns on 19-of-35 passing. Their performances were all part of a 607-yard offensive explosion.
USC will all-but settle the conference’s South division this weekend against Arizona (10:45 p.m. ET, ESPN). In a contest between last year’s midseason sensation (Darnold) and this year’s, Wildcats sophomore quarterback Khalil Tate, the elder is favored by seven points with an outlandish, if it wasn’t in a #Pac12AfterDark situation, over/under of 73. A 40-33 contest could last well into Sunday morning. It will obviously last even longer if even more points are scored, which seems quite possible.
North Carolina State (6-2): The Wolfpack can still win the ACC after falling to Notre Dame 35-14 this weekend. That decision will take a large step in one direction or the other against Clemson on Saturday (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC). As a touchdown-underdog with an over/under of 51, North Carolina State surely wants to flip the tables on a 29-22 outcome.
WINSTON SALEM, NC - OCTOBER 28: Wide receiver Greg Dortch #89 of the Wake Forest Demon Deacons runs in a touchdown reception against the Louisville Cardinals late in the first quarter of the football game at BB&T Field on October 28, 2017 in Winston Salem, North Carolina. (Photo by Mike Comer/Getty Images)
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Wake Forest (5-3): The Demon Deacons arrive in South Bend high from a 42-32 victory over Louisville. Depending on your view of the perceived success or failure of the Cardinals’ season, that win may not mean much, but no matter how it is viewed, Wake Forest beat one of the ACC’s recent powers, something it had not done since a 6-3 win in double overtime against Virginia Tech in 2014.
Senior quarterback John Wolford leaned on sophomore receiver Greg Dortch to keep pace with Louisville. Dortch finished with 167 yards and four touchdowns on 10 catches while Wolford threw for 461 yards and five scores on 28-of-34 passing, an average of 13.56 yards per attempt.
Dortch has since been ruled out for the season, a crucial loss for the Deacons as they head to Notre Dame as 13.5-point underdogs with a current over/under of 57. (3:30 p.m. ET, NBC.) If anything, a 35-21 final would make Wake Forest the first Irish opponent to break 20 points this season. That seems unlikely.
Miami (FL) (7-0): The Hurricanes did not need another nail-biting finish, but they still got off to a slow start in slipping past North Carolina 24-19.
Miami will essentially play for its conference division title against Virginia Tech (8 p.m. ET, ABC). It should be a close one, which may play into the Hurricanes’ favor. They certainly are not fazed by a competitive fourth quarter, even if 2.5-point underdogs with an over/under of 50. A 27-24 conclusion would be worth watching before flipping over to USC and Arizona, even if the Hokies knock Miami from the ranks of the undefeated.
Navy (5-2): The Midshipmen exit their bye with a short week, heading to Temple on Thursday (8 p.m. ET, ESPN). Favored by eight, Navy should come out ahead in a 31-23 evening.
Stanford (6-2): Without junior running back Bryce Love (ankle), the Cardinal baaaaaaarely managed to get past Oregon State on Thursday, scoring a touchdown with 20 seconds left to win 15-14. The score came only thanks to a Beavers fumble to set up a short field.
Stanford will risk a five-game winning streak at Washington State as two-point underdogs (3:30 p.m. ET, FOX). A 55-point over/under creates a theoretical final of 28-27 in the Cougars favor.
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