Notre Dame finally found some muscle to accompany CJ Carr’s passing. Jonaz Walton helped the unbeaten Irish grind North Carolina down in the rain; Tavita Pritchard’s Stanford rebuild veered the other way, following a stirring win over Georgia Tech with a 57-3 humiliation at Wake Forest. Below is my preview, prediction, and pick for today’s college football game between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Stanford Cardinal.
Here’s how I’ll play it. I’ll be pumping out these predictions for individual games all season, with plenty of coverage here on DraftKings Network. Follow my handle @dansby_edits for more betting plays.
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Notre Dame vs. Stanford prediction, preview
Replacing Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price has demanded patience. Walton justified a larger role with 120 yards on 23 carries at Carolina, behind blockers still learning their positions; only center Ashton Craig entered the season with substantial experience in his current assignment. Braden Marceau-Olayinka can disrupt those runs with penetration. With Matt Rose questionable and Jahsiah Galvan out, Stanford may again have to trust linebackers who struggled to tackle Wake Forest.
Jordan Faison makes committing extra defenders to Walton expensive. He shredded Carolina for 132 yards on eight catches, scoring on a post and another coverage breakdown. Mike Denbrock should call play action and send him behind defenders stepping toward the run. Defensive coordinator Kris Richard can answer with deeper safety help, conceding space to Walton. A missed block spoiled Carr’s goal-line run at Carolina, but Stanford has conceded touchdowns on an appalling 20 of 23 red-zone visits through five games.
Davis Warren needs quicker progress on early downs. Offensive coordinator Terry Heffernan emphasized first-down execution in practice after the Michigan transfer squeezed only 136 passing yards from 30 attempts at Wake Forest. Caden High is questionable; Heffernan can call shorter throws to tight end Benji Blackburn and send freshman Zion Robinson deeper after his 61-yard catch against Georgia Tech. Leonard Moore remains questionable with a concussion, and Jayden Sanders would replace him. Linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa is out, too. Carolina’s 97-yard touchdown march before halftime exposed genuine coverage problems worth attacking. The Irish also surrendered a 98-yard kickoff-return touchdown.
Stanford vs. Notre Dame pick, best bet
Sustaining those passes gets harder when Micah Ford stalls. Ford scraped together 45 rushing yards on 16 carries at Wake Forest; Oregon transfer Tionne Gray and Pittsburgh transfer Francis Brewu strengthen an Irish front allowing just 2.0 yards per rush through five games. Boubacar Traore and Bryce Young should hurry Warren on passing downs. Saturday’s sold-out Irish Wear Green game for the Legends Trophy starts at 3:30 p.m. Eastern at Notre Dame Stadium. Warren and replacement center Fisher Anderson should expect tougher communication there; sacks and field goals look likelier than sustained touchdown drives.
Freeman can consume time once Notre Dame leads: one touchdown drive at Carolina lasted more than nine minutes. BYU awaits next week. Yet Nolan James Jr. gained 65 yards on nine carries there, and Aneyas Williams remains in the rotation. Stanford even allowed Wake Forest’s reserve quarterback to throw deep and run for a touchdown. I expect Notre Dame to approach 50 points because James and Williams can still finish drives after Carr sits.
Best bet: Over 54.5 (-110).
Projected score: Notre Dame 51, Stanford 10.
Best Bet: Notre Dame vs. Stanford o54.5 total points scored (-110)
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