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Notre Dame vs Louisville Game Predictions
By Bryan Driskell,
2 hours ago
The 16th-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish (3-1) take on the 15th-ranked Louisville Cardinals (3-0) this weekend in what is a huge matchup for both teams. This game will have playoff resume implications, especially for the Irish.
Location : Notre Dame Stadium (Notre Dame, Ind.) Date : Saturday - September 28 Time : 3:30 PM ET TV : Peacock Line : Notre Dame -7.0, O/U: 46.5
We broke the game down all week and now it's time to make our predictions!
BRYAN DRISKELL, OWNER
Prediction : Notre Dame 27, Louisville 20
Louisville has only been tested once this season, and they passed that past with a 31-19 win over Georgia Tech. The Irish are a team that has looked like a truly dominant team one week, and then a sloppy, unmotivated team the next. So what version of Notre Dame shows up in this game? I think we'll see a version of the team that showed up against Texas A&M and Purdue, and that's why I predict Notre Dame to win this game.
Defensively, Louisville is a team that wants to throw the football and Notre Dame has had one of the best pass defenses in the country the last two seasons. In this game it's about Notre Dame keeping the run game in check and limiting big plays in the pass game, and I think they do that enough to give the offense a chance to pull this game out.
Offensively, the Irish are close to taking off, and while I don't predict that happens fully in this game, I do think Notre Dame takes another step forward. The three-headed run game monster of Riley Leonard, Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price will once again make plays, even against a stout Louisville run defense. But the final outcome will be determined by Leonard and the pass game taking a step forward and making enough plays to win the game.
VINCE DEDARIO, FOOTBALL ANALYST
Prediction : Notre Dame 31, Louisville 13
Here we go again. Week to week with this team and even though it is coach speak I am not looking past this week. Can the Irish come out, at home, and be the dominant team they have been on the road? That is a serious question. The roller coaster ride that has been the Marcus Freeman tenure is real. Luckily for Irish fans Louisville is a top team and Notre Dame remembers what happened last year when they faced the Cardinals. They will be up for this game, mark my words.
Riley Leonard will put together the Purdue game and the Miami game and you will see him hit the layups AND take shots down the field. It won't be enough for some fans and that is fine but they will leave no doubt. The defense is borderline elite right now and they will make their presence felt throughout the game. The offense will not have to be amazing but there will be spurts where they will be. In the end I just do not see this game being competitive at the end.
SEAN STIRES, STAFF WRITER
Prediction : Notre Dame 27, Louisville 17
Louisville’s a little bit hard to get a firm handle on. The Cardinals are 3-0 with wins over Austin Peay from the FCS, lower-level Group of Five Jacksonville State and Georgia Tech. They’re averaging 308 passing yards and 194 rushing yards, but they had just 269 and 57, respectively, in last week’s ACC opener against the Yellow Jackets. They needed both a defensive and special teams touchdown for the 31-19 win.
All that aside, this game should first and foremost come down to whether or not the Fighting Irish match the physicality of the Cardinals, who outplayed Notre Dame in last year’s upset win. The Irish must also be less predictable offensively than they were last year when they committed five turnovers in the loss. Those turnovers led to 31 Cardinal points, which is the most the Irish defense allowed last season. That’s not a fact Al Golden has likely forgotten.
TREVOR TROWBRIDGE, STAFF WRITER
Prediction : Notre Dame 28, Louisville 17
No doubt about it this is going to be a close game. Louisville is a very athletic, long, and well coached football team. Expect Jeff Brohm to put Notre Dame's linebackers and safeties into one on one situations to create big plays. Stopping the run to prevent Louisville from becoming a balanced offense has to be top of mind for Al Golden, or else this game could end up looking similar to 2023.
Notre Dame has a lot of inconsistencies on offense to clean up. Louisville's defense is susceptible to giving up big plays in the passing game due to how aggressive they play. Riley Leonard will have to execute on the easy throws today, and build on the success from last week pushing the ball down the field. This is going to be a tough grind it out game, but I think Notre Dame pulls away mid way through the 4th quarter.
NICK KREMER, RECRUITING ANALYST
Prediction : Notre Dame 20, Louisville 17
Notre Dame coming off a less than stellar performance against a MAC team, and now they are set to take on a more formidable opponent? Sounds eerily similar to the position that the Irish were in two weeks ago following the NIU loss. In the next game against Purdue, the Irish put up 66 points. I’m not saying that the Irish will hang 50+, but history tells us that Marcus Freeman-coached teams will bounce back in a big way this week.
Once Riley Leonard overcame the ‘boos’ of the home crowd, and had some success throwing the ball down field, it felt as though a giant weight was lifted from the offense. Without a doubt, Leonard had his confidence shaken this past Saturday, but he bounced back. And he will again this week. I predict Denbrock and Leonard deliver a statement performance, both on the ground and through the air this Saturday.
Al Golden vs Jeff Brohm. Get your popcorn ready. This chess match is going to be fun to watch. I expect that this battle will go back and forth for the majority of the game, with the Irish defense coming up with a big stop or two late in the game.
JOE EVERETT, STAFF WRITER
Prediction : Notre Dame 27, Louisville 23
This game will be won and lost in the trenches. The strength of Notre Dame's offense is its running attack, which will face the strength of the Louisville defense: its front 7. Against an experienced and talented front, can the Irish still generate explosive plays on the ground? On the opposite side of the ball, can Notre Dame's defensive line hold up against a potent Louisville rushing attack? Notre Dame's linebackers will have to tackle well on Saturday if they want to come out of Saturday with a win.
I think the difference comes from a mentality edge that Notre Dame will have. I think this is a game they've had circled on their calendars for a while, and I think, in their minds and in the minds of many fans, it's a revenge game for how last year's game went. Ultimately, I think the Irish start strong as Riley Leonard lets one loose for a long touchdown pass to open up the scoring. In the second half, Louisville rallies and takes a 23-20 lead in the 4th quarter. However, Leonard leads the Irish on a clutch touchdown run to regain the lead, and the defense seals the win with an interception.
ANDREW MCDONOUGH, IB CONTRIBUTOR
Prediction : Notre Dame 24, Louisville 16
Louisville coach Jeff Brohm has immediately restored his alma mater to national prominence but the Cardinals aren't going to sneak up on the Irish this season, and I expect a fired up Notre Dame team to feed off the energy of the defense and pull out a hard-fought victory against the nation's #15 team. For the second straight season, Brohm has this team punching above its weight in an undefeated start, as the Cardinals rank 36th on the 247 Team Talent Composite, just a spot ahead of Purdue, compared to the Irish who rank 10th.
Louisville blew out Austin Peay and Jacksonville State but were sloppy in last week's 31-19 victory over Georgia Tech. The Cardinals rushed for just 57 yards on 2.1 YPC against the Yellow Jackets and used big red zone stops and a blocked field goal and fumble returned for scores to survive. QB Riley Leonard has been far from pretty in the passing game this season, but his ability to make plays with his legs are a big reason that Notre Dame has scored touchdowns on 77.78% of red zone possessions, good for 20th in the country, while the Cardinals have converted just 61.54% of red zone trips into touchdowns, which ranks just 74th in the nation.
If Notre Dame continues to turn its red zone trips into touchdowns by leaning on the strength of its dual-threat signal caller, and stops the Cardinals' running game, forcing Louisville into passing situations, that will allow a ball-hawking Notre Dame secondary to make game-changing plays. The Cardinals have yet to turn the ball over this season, but QB Tyler Shough has struggled to take care of the ball during his career and entered this season with 17 career interceptions on just 562 passes. In a game that should be close the entire way, red zone success and timely turnovers give the Irish the edge.
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