After a 70–7 shellacking of Syracuse, the Fighting Irish will be major favorites against rival Stanford again this weekend. Late Saturday night, Notre Dame seeks to punctuate their playoff résumé, while Jeremiyah Love makes his final Heisman case. There will be a lot of blue and gold in the stands in Palo Alto on Saturday night as the battle for the Legends Trophy will conclude a rivalry weekend in college football!
Essential Game Info:
- Game Time: Saturday, November 29 at 10:30 PM ET on ESPN
- Location: Stanford Stadium, Palo Alto, California
- Matchup History: Notre Dame Football is 24–14 all-time against the Stanford Cardinal (Last Meeting 2024: Irish won 49–7)
- Trophy: Legends Trophy
- Odds: Notre Dame –32.5
Details
- Conference: ACC
- Head Coach: Frank Reich
- 2025 Record: 4–7 (3–5)
- 2024 Record: 3–9 (2–6)
Stanford Storylines:
Saturday will be interim head coach Frank Reich’s last game. Earlier in the year, Stanford’s new general manager, Andrew Luck, named the former Colts head coach to the interim head coach position for Stanford Football. By all indications, Reich still intends to leave the program after one year. With a lot of openings across the nation, it will be interesting to see who takes over in Palo Alto.
The Fighting Irish have taken 5 of the last 6 matchups in this series. However, most people do not realize that Stanford has won 8 of the previous 15 meetings. They helped create a national rivalry against the Irish in the 2010s, but have fallen off this decade. In their last 4 matchups this year, the Cardinal have lost at Miami (42–7), fell to Pitt (35–20), lost at North Carolina (20–15), but beat California last Saturday (31–10).
After knocking off California, expect Elijah Brown to get the start at quarterback. In 2025, Brown is 56 for 90 (62%) with 3 passing touchdowns, 1 interception, and 13 sacks taken. On the ground, he has 16 attempts for –90 yards (sacks included) with no rushing scores.
Notre Dame Storylines:
Jeremiyah Love gives the Irish a Heisman hopeful heading into rivalry weekend. Notre Dame has seven Heisman Trophy winners, but Tim Brown was the most recent in 1987. Since then, Brady Quinn finished 3rd in 2006, while Manti Teo was 2nd in 2012.
There has been a lot of momentum building on social media around Jeremiyah Love’s Heisman odds, and most are crowning him the best player in the country. However, a few factors are hurting his odds. First, Indiana and Ohio State are undefeated with two really good quarterbacks (Fernando Mendoza and Julian Sayin).
Secondly, the Fighting Irish suffered two losses, Jadarian Price shared a portion of the carries, and it is rare for a non-quarterback to win the award. But if Love can get over 200 yards rushing this weekend and make another spectacular play, then the race could tighten up.
Chris Ash has the Irish defense ready for a title run. Last week, I said that Ash’s defense is set for the playoffs, but now I believe they are good enough to get Notre Dame back to the National Championship Game. Now, I am certainly not saying the Irish will definitely get back there. Right now, they would have to open the playoffs in Norman, Oklahoma, and then play the best team in the country, Ohio State. So, that would be an extremely tough path.
Nevertheless, the Irish defense has become elite. The past two weeks, the Irish defense barely allowed Pittsburgh and Syracuse to move the football. Pitt scored their only touchdown on the last play of the game (they scored 28 points in the first half of the Georgia Tech game), and Syracuse scored essentially on the last play of the game as well.
Head-to-Head Matchups:
Notre Dame Offense vs. Stanford Defense:
The Fighting Irish offense is averaging 453 yards per game, while the Cardinal defense is allowing 398 yards per matchup. Last week, the Irish offense did not possess the football until the score was 21–0. It definitely did not help Jeremiyah Love’s Heisman chances. After watching highlights of Notre Dame’s last two trips to Palo Alto, I think this offense is going to put up just as many points.
Mike Denbrock and Marcus Freeman both know that this is Notre Dame’s last impression for the playoff committee and Love’s last impression on Heisman voters.
The Fighting Irish have the advantage.
Advantage: Notre Dame
Stanford Offense vs. Notre Dame Defense:
The Cardinal offense is averaging 306 yards per contest, while the Notre Dame defense is allowing 313 yards per game.
Opponents have struggled to put up any points on the board against Notre Dame’s defense during the second half of the year. I believe that Stanford will put up a few points, but they will be against Notre Dame’s backups.
The injury to Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa is a blow to the Irish defense, but they must move forward like they did with injuries on last year’s playoff campaign.
Notre Dame has the advantage in this category.
Advantage: Notre Dame
Special Teams:
Notre Dame’s starting kicker, Noah Burnette, is listed as questionable for Saturday’s regular season finale. He is 5 for 6 this season with his longest conversion at 48 yards. Stanford’s Emmet Kenney is 14 for 19 with his longest conversion at 46 yards.
With Notre Dame’s kicking woes, I give Stanford the advantage.
Advantage: Stanford
My Prediction:
As I was walking out of Notre Dame Stadium after the Irish lost a heartbreaker to Texas A&M, I thought the season was over. Yes, I knew if they finished 10–2 that there was still a small chance to make the playoffs, but the defense was too bad for that, or at least that is what I thought.
Flash forward to Thanksgiving weekend, and Marcus Freeman has his group on the verge of a 10-game winning streak, with victories over USC, a blowout over Navy, and a big victory over Pittsburgh. The Fighting Irish offense has become more dynamic than ever, while Chris Ash has orchestrated one of the best single-season turnarounds I can recall.
I expect the Irish to put on a great show for America and further solidify their playoff spot, alongside Jeremiyah Love and his Heisman campaign. I have the Fighting Irish winning by 36 points and anticipate the Cardinal scoring some “garbage time” points.
Prediction: Notre Dame 49, Stanford 13
