It is another big weekend in college football, as Notre Dame will host the Miami Hurricanes in what is a pseudo elimination game for the Irish.
They know that is at stake, and don’t want to let other teams control their own destiny. However, with so many top-25 games during the Week 10 slate, some help could be on the way with multiple other teams taking a second or third loss.
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Another fun weekend in college football brings our staff here of Tim Healey, Kevin Smith and Michael Chen make their choices between Notre Dame and Miami along with the top games across college football this weekend.
Game data: Sat., Nov. 7 at 11 a.m. CT on ABC
Healey – This one is a tough one for me. We saw BYU beat Notre Dame and play well in doing so, then we saw BYU lose a close one to UCF. I haven’t yet seen Utah play this year. I am inclined to lean Utah, since they’re at home. Maybe the Utes win be a field goal.
Smith – I like the Utes in this one. I think they have a slight advantage over BYU, and Utah seems like a more complete team than the Cougars.
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Chen – With Blue and Gold eyes, we want BYU to win, another victory over a top-10 team would help Notre Dame’s cause. However, it seems like Utah is the better team and will prevail, hurting the Irish.
Game data: Sat., Nov. 7 at 11 a.m. CT on ESPN
Healey – Texas has been a bit of a mess this season, but I think the Longhorns should be put together enough to handle the Tigers.
Smith – As much as I would like to see Coach Drinkwitz and the Tigers beat up Texas, I think the Longhorns have this one after they’ve been able to figure things out these last couple of weeks.
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Chen – I am still not going to buy what Texas is selling, as I don’t really think they’re a top-10 team. Missouri has had some solid wins, and they’ll get another on Saturday.
Game data: Sat., Nov. 7 at 2:30 p.m. CT on ABC
Healey – Another toughie here. Alabama hasn’t always been good this year, and LSU remains a mystery. I think ‘Bama sneaks away with a close win.
Smith – Give me ‘Bama. As dysfunctional as the Tide have been this season, I think LSU has been even more so in very winnable games.
Chen – Another pair of over-ranked SEC teams, I just don’t think either is very good. They’re propped up by the polls, and LSU will take another loss.
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Game data: Sat., Nov. 7 at 2:30 p.m. CT on CBS
Healey – Oregon never turned out to be the national title contender we all expected them to be, and while OSU has lost the services of starting quarterback Julian Sayin and had a tough loss at USC, I think they’ll bounce back here at home.
Smith – I honestly think the Buckeyes are a lock in this one, as they look to bounce back from last week’s loss to USC. The Ducks have been a mess and they’re a ghost of their former national title-contending selves.
Chen – Ohio State is reeling after losing to USC, showing its warts. Oregon has already done that, playing three quarterbacks this year. I’ll give the edge to the home team and the Buckeyes get back to their winning ways.
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Game data: Sat., Nov. 7 at 5:15 p.m. CT on ESPN
Healey – Kentucky is a nice story and is capable of the upset, but Tennessee is darn good and probably will handle business at home.
Smith – I’ll take Kentucky. The Vols are good, but I believe in Kenny Minchey and what he’s been able to accomplish so far.
Chen – I think all of us are rooting for Minchey, as he’s got the Wildcats on the verge of making the CFP. They’ll take another step towards that goal, defeating the Vols.
Game data: Sat., Nov. 7 at 6:30 p.m. on ABC
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Healey – As strong as Ole Miss has been, I think Georgia is a tick better, and I see the Bulldogs winning by 10.
Smith – Both teams have had some questionable losses after pulling off impressive victories, but I can see the Rebels delivering a stunner against the Bulldogs. After all…Georgia has already lost to a surprise team this season (Auburn).
Chen – Nobody really is talking about Georgia, and they like it that way. They’ll grind out another win, as Ole Miss just isn’t as good in the trenches.
Gah, I have no idea what to do here. Part of me thinks that Miami will beat Notre Dame yet again and leave the Irish needing help to get a playoff bid. Another part of me thinks that this Notre Dame team is much better than last year’s — and would’ve beat BYU if not for some inexplicable coaching decisions and some failure by the players to execute. That’s not to take anything away from a very good BYU team, but the eye test showed an Irish team that flipped the script in the second half before the defensive suffered a letdown.
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So, how does that apply to Miami? Well, if an amped-up Irish team, aware of how much it needs this win, shows up at home and controls its emotions enough to avoid dumb penalties, things might play out differently than they did in Week 1 in South Florida last year. Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr is a much better player now — but he did regress a little against BYU and even in the first half at Navy. If we see the best version of Carr, Notre Dame has a much better chance of winning.
The coaches need to deploy their players in the best way to win. Offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock will need to keep it simple, use the running game, and give Jonaz Walton shots at a home-run carry. And Chris Ash will need to make sure the secondary is ready to handle Miami’s passing attack. If Notre Dame has pre-snap confusion like it did at BYU or last year against Texas A&M, the Irish are in deep trouble.
Notre Dame may eventually be motivated by the CFP committee seeming to disrespect it. If that happens, and if the coaches make the right decisions, and if Notre Dame players execute, the Irish will win.
Notre Dame 34, Miami 31.
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Saturday is almost here. It’s Notre Dame vs. Miami…a matchup that could ultimately determine the fate of the Fighting Irish‘s season. While Notre Dame is riddled with injuries at imaginably the worst time of the year, Miami’s nearly equal omission of Malachi Toney could work in the Irish’s favor.
If a depleted Notre Dame defense can hold its own for four quarters and if offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock will LET JONAZ WALTON RUN…then the Irish have a legitimate chance in this game.
But if Denbrock continues to be stingy with his play calling and Freeman doesn’t do anything about it, and the defense completely falls apart, the Hurricanes might take this game and run with it.
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However, with the faith that I have left, it pushes me to see this result.
Notre Dame 25, Miami 21.
Notre Dame got a gift with the news of Toney missing the game, but the Hurricanes are still an extremely talented team. This one could go a number of ways, but the Irish are at home, with plenty of juice. They’ll have to control their emotions, especially early, and settle down to play their game. Notre Dame knows how important this game is to its CFP future, as a loss essentially knocks them out. Miami doesn’t care whats going on with the Irish, they just want to win.
It’s going to be a slugfest, an epic battle between two rivals, and with that I think it’s going to be a close game. In those, it’s typically the home team that prevails, and that’s what happens tomorrow night.
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Notre Dame 24, Miami 17
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This article originally appeared on Fighting Irish Wire: Expert picks for Notre Dame vs. Miami and best Week 10 games
