Final score predictions for the Notre Dame football versus Louisville Cardinals matchup

Through four weeks, nobody really knows what this 2024 version of Notre Dame football really is. We have seen them be dominant at times, underwhelming at others, and lack energy too often. That makes this battle against the Louisville Cardinals on Saturday so fascinating, playing against arguably the toughest team in your entire schedule.

On paper, Notre Dame should win. Louisville is a talented team, especially on the defensive line and at wide receiver, but the Irish match up in a tremendous way against their biggest strengths. It will come down to what team we get on Saturday. Marcus Freeman and this staff has to have the team ready to go, which has been an issue.

There is a feel of revenge on the mind for the Irish, who were embarrassed against the Cardinals last year 33 to 20. For anyone who watched that game, it was not nearly as close as that final score. They were thoroughly outplayed.

On offense, Notre Dame is going to have to handle a powerful front for Louisville. They should be able to run the football, but that’s dependent on if they have an answer. Run game diversity is going to be huge. It won’t just come down to just Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price, but quarterback Riley Leonard as well. Hitting the edges should be huge.

Leonard must also create some explosive plays in the passing game. There’s a chance that Louisville could be without their top cornerback in Quincy Riley but regardless of if he plays or not, the defense is susceptible to big plays. We saw the Irish being able to make some more plays down the field last week, and that must continue to improve.

On defense, it’s going to come down to tackling in space. Louisville has a ton of talented athletes, including Ja’Corey Brooks, Chris Bell, and Jamari Johnson. Eliminating explosive plays, especially after the catch, would be huge. Keeping everything in front of you is a necessity.

I could easily talk myself into Notre Dame coming in angry, and completing dominating this matchup. With how bipolar this team is, I just can’t go there right now. Notre Dame does feel like they win, but it could be a bit of a grinding performance. We will know very early in this contest just how ready the Irish are for this game.

Final prediction: Notre Dame 24, Louisville 20