The start time and TV network has been announced for next weekend’s showdown between Notre Dame and Stanford and surprise, surprise, the game will kick off at 8:00 PM ET / 5:00 PM PT in primetime on ABC. With both the Irish and Cardinal winning this weekend the game will feature a top 10 ranked Notre Dame team against potentially a top 20 Stanford squad coming off back to back wins.
This will be the fifth time this season that Notre Dame will be playing in primetime and the third time on the road. The Irish won easily in East Lansing against Michigan State earlier this year but got blown out of the water last weekend in South Beach by Miami. Notre Dame will be hoping for a result that is more like the former than the later.
The last time three Notre Dame – Stanford games in Stanford Stadium have now all been prime time kickoffs on Thanksgiving weekend. Two years ago the two squared off in one of the most thrilling matchups between the two in recent memory with Notre Dame taking the lead with just over 40 seconds remaining only to squander it and any slim College Football Playoff hopes they had at the time.
A berth in a New Year’s 6 Bowl game is on the line for the Irish. A win and Notre Dame is pretty much assured of playing in one of the most prestigious bowl games outside of the the CFP bowls. A win would also give the Irish a 10 win regular season for the second time in three years and the third time in six years.
Stanford is coming off a narrow victory of their own against archrival Cal. The Cardinal won 17-14 in a game that saw zero points get scored in the fourth quarter. Not coincidentally, Stanford star running back Bryce Love missed the entire 4th quarter after aggravating an ankle injury. His status will be worth watching throughout the week.
Notre Dame meanwhile will look to lock up that 10th win of the season after their escaping Senior Day with a 24-17 win over Navy. The Irish offense sputtered again this week while the defense kept Navy off the scoreboard but couldn’t get themselves off the field often as the Middies held the ball for nearly 43 minutes.
In his previous seven meetings with Stanford, Brian Kelly has only beaten the Cardinal twice – 2012 and 2014. He’ll look to improve on his 2-5 record against one of Notre Dame’s biggest rivals while attempting to win at Stanford Stadium for the first time in his Notre Dame tenure.
Let’s do it boys!!! 10 wins and new year’s day bowl in our grasp! Go Irish!!!!
Frankie, congrats on going 9-1. Nobody’s perfect. John Wooden was having trouble with Keith Erickson, free spirit hippie looking. He was standing around not shooting his free throws. Wooden told Him make 10 in a row, no free throws. Erickson sank the first nine, then missed the 10th. Frankie I just know know you could be 10-0. You’re a true Irish fan.
PAC 12 North is an interesting situation. If Washington St beats Washington, Stanford will be perched at the top. My point is these birds will be looking to crap all over our golden dome….we need to lose the silly hats and re-focus on playing ND football. Last game!! Come on boys!!!
Correction….Washington beats Washington State
Everyone talks about how if “we play the Stanford game like we did the Navy one, we will lose” – as if the Irish Defense didn’t hold Navy to their season low in points and yards per play (and 2nd lowest ypc). Or that Stanford just didn’t barely escape a bad Cal team by 3pts.
Solid, I never said Stanford was dominant. Solid enough that if ND plays like they did with Navy, yes they will lose. You let Stanford convert 3rd and 16’s, you try to get cute with your offense instead of running the ball down their throats, yes they will beat you. Stanford may not be Miami or Georgia, but they are good enough to beat you if you play sloppy.
They better clean things up or we will be looking at a 9-3 season and a middle tier bowl. Sorry, but that don’t cut it for me, not in year 8.
I agree, we bent but did not break. They had the ball for 43 mins and got 17 pts
They better clean some things up if they hope to beat Stanford. They cannot play like the did against Navy and hope they win. That won’t cut it.
What they need to do is RUN THE DAMN BALL first. Start with that. I’m not saying never pass it. But don’t try to get cute. Start with what you’re good at. If they have success running the ball, confidence will grow and they will start to get comfortable, then that will open up the passing game a bit more. Confidence is key. Get some first downs, a TD then go from there.
On defense, wrap guys up. This isn’t tag football. I’m not sure why the bad habits are creeping back in. The defense is going to have to play better if ND hopes to have a shot.
I have deep concerns about Stanford. They have been more solid lately and the Irish have been slipping.
They barely beat Cal. Such a dominant win, right?
Playing option teams is totally different than playing against a vanilla west coast offense.