Notre Dame’s 70–7 dominating win over Syracuse last weekend should have come of little surprise as the Irish entered the game as whopping six-touchdown favorites. The only surprising part should have been that the first three Notre Dame touchdowns arrived via defense and special teams. The other 49 points came by way of running back Jeremiyah Love and company.
Love, who is currently one of the leading candidates for the 2025 Heisman Trophy, faced an Orange defense that entered the game ranked 95th against the run, surrendering 163.4 yards per contest. Love needed just eight carries to surpass that total as he finished with 171 rushing yards and three touchdowns (21.4 YPC).
Notre Dame also scored through the air. Quarterback CJ Carr completed five of nine passes for 49 yards and a score. And, as much as Carr would’ve liked to celebrate the offense’s stellar performance following the game, he couldn’t. Arguably one of Carr’s closest friends on the team exited the game late in the second quarter only to return to the sideline wearing street clothes. There was speculation that linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa suffered a left-knee injury, but the severity was unclear following the game. On Monday, Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman provided confirmation.
“I wanted to start with just the tough news with Chance Tucker and KVA, Kyngstonn [Viliamu-Asa], just obviously having season-ending injuries,” Freeman informed. “Chance has to, this is his second one, so he’ll have to decide if football is something he wants to continue to do, but I mean it’s just tough to five years and he’s really been a valuable member of our team. And then Kyng, he was playing at such a high level. It is just, you feel awful for him because he puts a lot into it.”
Viliamu-Asa was a one-of-one player for Notre Dame’s linebacking corps as he could play the Mike, Will, Rover, and defensive end positions. No one else currently within the unit can duplicate that, so the defense will be forced to divvy up Viliamu-Asa’s workload amongst its seasoned linebackers: Drayk Bowen, Jaylen Sneed, and Jaiden Ausberry. However, Freeman mentioned another player that should expect to see an increased volume in snaps moving forward.
“He is an ascending player,” Freeman said of true freshman linebacker Madden Faraimo. “The more he’s out there, the better he continues to play. He’s preparing in a really positive way. The greatest thing Kyng did for Madden is they hung out a lot. So Madden learned how to prepare in a similar way that Kyng did. He’s getting better, getting better in all facets of playing the linebacker position. He’s doing a really good job with what we’re asking him to do on special teams. His role will increase, as well as Kahanu Kia’s and as well as some of those other guys that have been playing.”
Faraimo, a former 5-star high school prospect, finished last weekend’s game against Syracuse with five tackles, one sack, and two tackles for a loss. The JSerra Catholic High School product has appeared in five games so far this season, tallying 14 tackles and a sack.
Next up: Stanford
Key Injuries
Notre Dame
RB Kedren Young (knee), OL Charles Jagusah (arm), OL Peter Jones (ankle), OL Billy Schrauth (knee), DL Gabriel Rubio (elbow), OL Ashton Craig (knee), DL Sean Sevillano (ankle), S Tae Johnson (hand), and LB Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa (knee) are out. TE Kevin Bauman (retired). K Noah Burnette (hip) and TE Cooper Flanagan (Achilles) are questionable.
Stanford
WR Jordan Onovughe, RB Tuna Altahir, CB Cam Richardson, WR David Pantelis, CB Javion Randall, R.J. Gaskins, OL Nathan Mekia, OL Nick Fattig, OL Jack Leyrer, and WR Jonathon Hall are out.
Notre Dame Betting Trends:
- Notre Dame is 5–1 ATS in its last six games versus Stanford.
- The total has gone under in five of Notre Dame’s last seven games.
- Stanford is 4–8 ATS in its last 12 games.
- The total has gone over in six of Stanford’s last seven games against Notre Dame.
- Stanford is 5–1 SU in its last six home games.
- Matchup History: Notre Dame is 24–14 all-time vs. Stanford.
Line (Point Spread) and Total (Over/Under)
#9 Notre Dame (9–2) (7–4 ATS) at Stanford (4–7) (4–7 ATS)
“We have a great challenge ahead of us as we get ready for Stanford,” Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman stated. “The thing that sticks out to me as I really evaluate Stanford is they’re 4–1 at home and their statistics are showing they’re playing better at home for whatever reason. They have played really well at home, and I know it’s coach Frank Reich’s last game coaching the team. And so I know they’ll be emotionally invested to making sure they send him out the right way at senior night, I’m sure for them. And so we have a great challenge.”
Coach Freeman is known for his kindness, and he showed it at this past Monday’s press conference by acknowledging the Cardinal have played really well at home due to their 4–1 record. While that may certainly be true, Stanford is 4–7 on the season. Furthermore, Stanford currently possesses a team that’s ranked 123rd in total offense (131st in rushing offense) and 95th in total defense (133rd in pass defense).
Those numbers do not bode well for them in their upcoming matchup against Notre Dame, and Freeman understands that. However, the one thing that does concern Freeman, as it has in just about every game this season, is starting the game off fast on offense. That is an area the Irish have battled with this season, as well as in their recent games against Stanford.
“I think about the last three times we played Stanford, and we’ve been tied or down in the first quarter, or at the end of the first quarter,” Freeman informed. “So we know the challenge. This program has improved since I first got here in ’21. I think about ’21 game at Stanford to where they are now, they’ve improved, and I’m betting they continue to improve. So we got to go to work, got to prepare for good offense, that’s balanced, tough downhill run team.
“They have some skill on the outside that are good players,” Freeman continued. “They’re tight end is I think number five in FBS in receptions. I mean they got some good players and on defense, they’re tough, they’re gritty, they run to the ball, they’re physical, they tackle well, got a deep D-line, some good linebackers and it’s going to be a great challenge. So we got to go to work and focus on our preparation. If we get better this week, then we got a chance on Saturday to have success. So that’s what we got to focus on.”
What coach Freeman said was true as Notre Dame lost to Stanford three years ago, 16–14, and the Irish were indeed trailing or tied in their last three games against Stanford. However, the Irish went on to win the last two 56–23 and 49–7 respectively. This weekend should be no different as oddsmakers have Notre Dame listed as 31-point favorites with a total of 49.5. BETMGM also has Irish running back Jeremiyah Love listed with the second-best odds (+375) of winning the Heisman Trophy.
Aside from the kickoff time of 10:30 PM EST, the one facet of this game that could hinder Notre Dame’s chances of covering the spread and Jeremiyah Love from adding to his 1,306 worth of rushing yards this season is Stanford’s rush defense, as they are ranked 25th in the country allowing just 113.1 yards per contest.
If the Irish didn’t possess a quarterback that was ranked 5th in the nation with a passing efficiency rating of 169.78, then that would be a legit concern. Expect Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr to find holes in the putrid Stanford secondary early on, which will loosen up the Stanford defense for Love later in the game. It is also safe to assume coach Freeman is aware that his team is being compared to a Miami Hurricanes team that defeated Stanford 42–7 earlier in the season, so margin of victory will matter a ton on Saturday night.
Pick: Notre Dame –31
Behind Enemy Lines Week 14:
#13 Miami (9–2) (6–5 ATS) at Pittsburgh (8–3) (8–3 ATS)
The Hurricanes are 2–4 ATS in their last six games. Miami is also 4–1 ATS in its last five games versus Pittsburgh. The total has gone over in nine of Pittsburgh’s last 13 games. The Panthers are 1–8 SU in their last nine home games against Miami. Miami is –7 with a total of 50.5 across the board.
Pick: Pitt +7
#3 Texas A&M (11–0) (5–6 ATS) at #17 Texas (8–3) (3–8 ATS)
The total has gone over in five of the Aggies’ last six games. Texas A&M is 1–4 SU in its last five games versus Texas. The Longhorns are 8–0 SU in their last eight home games. The total has gone under in four of Texas’ last five games versus Texas A&M. Texas A&M is –2.5 with a total of 51.5.
Pick: Under 51.5
#2 Indiana (11–0) (6–5 ATS) at Purdue (2–9) (5–6 ATS)
Indiana is 2–6 ATS in its last eight games versus Purdue. The total has gone over in four of the Hoosiers’ last five games. The total has gone over in four of Purdue’s last five games against Indiana. Purdue is 0–9 SU in its last nine games. Indiana is –28.5 with a total that’s climbed a hair to 54.5. (always buy the .5 point)
Pick: Over 54
#22 Missouri (7–4) (5–5–1 ATS) at Arkansas (2–9) (4–7 ATS)
The total has gone under in five of Missouri’s last seven games. Missouri is 1–4 ATS in its last five games at Arkansas. The total has gone under in nine of Arkansas’ last 13 games versus Missouri. The Razorbacks are 3–6 ATS in their last nine games. Missouri is –2.5 with a total that has slid down to 57.5. (always buy the half point)
Pick: Over 57
Boise State (7–4) (7–3–1 ATS) at Utah State (6–5) (9–2 ATS)
The Broncos are 8–0 ATS in their last eight games versus Utah State. The total has gone under in five of Boise State’s last six road games. Utah State is 9–2 ATS in its last 11 games. The total has gone over in 13 of the Aggies’ last 19 games versus Boise State. Boise State is –3.5 with a total of 55.5. (always buy the .5 point)
Pick: Over 55
North Carolina (4–7) (5–5–1 ATS) at NC State (6–5) (5–6 ATS)
The total has gone under in seven of North Carolina’s last 10 games. North Carolina is 1–4 SU in its last five games against NC State. NC State is 1–5 ATS in its last six home games versus North Carolina. The total has gone over in the last five matchups between these two programs. NC State is –7.5 with 47.5 across the board. (always buy the .5 point)
Pick: Over 47
UCLA (3–8) (3–8 ATS) at #15 USC (8–3) (5–6 ATS)
UCLA is 0–5 ATS in its last five games. The total has gone over in four of the Bruins’ last five games. USC is 10–3 SU in its last 13 home games versus UCLA. The Trojans are 3–6 ATS in their last nine games. USC is –22 with a total of 59.5.
Pick: USC –22
Boston College (1–10) (5–6 ATS) at Syracuse (3–8) (4–6–1 ATS)
The Eagles are 4–2 ATS in their last six games against Syracuse. The total has gone over in four of Boston College’s last five games. Syracuse is 1–4 ATS in its last five games. The total has gone under in the last five games held at Syracuse between these two teams. Boston College is –3 with 53 across the board.
Pick: Boston College –3
Navy (8–2) (3–7 ATS) at Memphis (8–3) (8–3 ATS)
Navy is 1–6 ATS in its last seven games. The total has gone over in five of Navy’s last six games. The total has gone over in four of Memphis’ last six games versus Navy. Memphis is 4–1 SU in its last five home games against Navy. This line has Memphis hovering around –5 with a total of 59.
Pick: Over 59
Notre Dame 2025 opponents are listed in bold.
