Notre Dame Opponent Preview: Week 6 Action Is Loaded

This weekend of college football feels like the calm before the storm, as the slate of games features only a single matchup between ranked teams. However, when it comes to college football, it seems like the quieter the weekend on paper, the wilder the drama on the field.

The noon window is highlighted by No. 9 Missouri’s trip to No. 25 Texas A&M, as the Aggies look for a fifth consecutive win after the opening loss to Notre Dame. No. 7 Penn State hosts UCLA in a great jersey game, while No. 22 Louisville looks to bounce back against an underrated SMU team.

Iowa visits No. 3 Ohio State during the 3:30 PM window with the Hawkeyes representing Ohio State’s toughest test to this point, at least defensively. Also, we’ll get to see the Hugh Freeze carnival roll into Athens for a rivalry game with Georgia that would have been the game of the week a decade ago.

No. 15 Clemson visits Florida State in a game featuring 2 teams going in opposite directions, and we also get a national championship rematch, with No. 10 Michigan visiting Washington. Lastly, No. 11 USC visits Minnesota in a game that everyone wishes were in late November rather than early October.

Now, let’s take a look at what’s at stake in Week 6 for Irish opponents.

Texas A&M Aggies (4-1, 2-0)

• Opponent: No. 9 Missouri
• Game Time and Network: 12:00 PM ET, ABC
• What’s at Stake?
• The Aggies have won four in a row since losing to Notre Dame and if they can get by Missouri at Kyle Field, the schedule sets up nicely with a visit from LSU the only ranked matchup before the season finale against top-ranked Texas. Regardless of who starts at quarterback, this game will be won along the line of scrimmage. After wearing down in the second half against Notre Dame and then surrendering 180 yards on the ground to McNeese State in Week 2, A&M has allowed an average of just 80.3 rushing yards per game in the last 3 games. Also, keep an eye on the kicking game being the difference in this one. Aggie senior kicker Randy Bond is one of the best in the SEC, while freshman Missouri kicker Blake Craig has already missed 5 field goals in 4 games.

Northern Illinois Huskies (2-2, 0-1)

• Opponent: Massachusetts
• Game Time and Network: 12:00 PM ET, CBSSN
• What’s at Stake?
• The Huskies have dropped the last 2 after winning at Notre Dame but should get back on track as they wrap up the non-conference slate against Massachusetts. Top priority for Northern Illinois is getting senior QB Ethan Hampton back on track. Hampton was brilliant early in the season, including at Notre Dame, but completed 48.3% of his passes and turned the ball over 3 times in last weekend’s loss at NC State, a game in which the NIU defense held the Wolfpack to just 176 total yards. A home game against UMass is a good get-right game before tough MAC matchups against Bowling Green and Toledo that will determine the conference race.

Purdue Boilermakers (1-3, 0-1)

• Opponent: at Wisconsin
• Game Time and Network: 12:00 PM ET, BTN
• What’s at Stake?
• Purdue fired offensive coordinator Graham Harrell after last weekend’s ugly loss to Nebraska, making him the scapegoat for the 1-3 start. In a deep Big Ten, this game is the inflection point in Purdue’s season. Wisconsin is wounded and limps back to Madison after blowing a double-digit lead at USC last weekend, and if the Boilermakers want to keep the season from going off the rails, they need to have this one. Five ranked opponents remain in front of Ryan Walters ’ team, and with Walters quickly moving on from Harrell, you get the sense he believes he’s coaching for his job. Purdue needs more from QB Hudson Card , who is completing just 55% of his passes and has thrown 4 interceptions in the past 3 games.

Miami (Ohio) RedHawks (1-3, 0-0)

• Opponent: at Toledo
• Game Time and Network: 3:30 PM ET, ESPN+
• What’s at Stake?
• The RedHawks squeaked by Massachusetts at home last weekend to pick up their first victory of the season, and now travel north to MAC favorite Toledo. The expectation heading into the season was that these two teams were the class of the MAC, and while the Rockets have been impressive, Miami has been anything but. QB Brett Gabbert still does not look comfortable after returning from a devastating leg injury that ended his 2023 campaign. He’s completed just 56.8% of his passes and thrown 6 interceptions in just 4 games. Despite the 1-3 start, this is still the conference opener for Miami and they head into this one with all their goals still alive and in front of them. Toledo ranks 102nd in the nation in pass defense, so look for Chuck Martin to find ways to give Gabbert some early success to get in a rhythm.

Louisville Cardinals (3-1, 1-0)

• Opponent: SMU
• Game Time and Network: 12:00 PM ET, ESPN
• What’s at Stake?
• Louisville feels like they let one slip away in South Bend last weekend and take on an SMU team coming off a big win over Florida State. SMU presents an intriguing matchup for Louisville, but as long as the Cardinals are focused and execute, they are better on both sides of the football. The only time SMU has left Dallas this season, the Mustangs scored just 15 points in a loss at BYU. Louisville QB Tyler Shough was impressive in front of a national audience against Notre Dame, and he should find plenty of success against an SMU pass defense that surrendered 415 yards through the air against the only top-70 offense the Mustangs played this season (TCU).

Stanford Cardinal (2-2, 1-1)

• Opponent: Virginia Tech
• Game Time and Network: 3:30 PM ET, ACCN
• What’s at Stake?
• The Cardinal host Virginia Tech coming off the loss at Clemson. Despite the 40-14 loss to the Tigers, there were some positives for Stanford, as they rolled up 236 yards on the ground against a stout Tiger front. This matchup with the ACC’s 15th ranked rushing defense should allows Troy Taylor ’s team to build on that identity as a run-first football team. If Stanford can establish the run against the Hokies, that will take some of the pressure off QB Ashton Daniels , who has been inconsistent and turnover-prone this season.

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (3-2, 1-2)

• Opponent: Duke
• Game Time and Network: 8:00 PM ET, ACCN
• What’s at Stake?
• Georgia Tech comes off its bye week for a date with Duke, and if the Yellow Jackets want to go bowling this season, this is a must-win game with Notre Dame, Miami, and Georgia still looming on the schedule. QB Haynes King has been great this season for Tech, but this team needs to develop a more consistent running game. The last time we saw the Yellow Jackets, they were held to just 2.65 yards per carry in the loss to Louisville. Duke is mediocre against the run, and this is a good opportunity to get RB Jamal Haynes rolling again. After a fast start to the season, Haynes has only posted 79 total rushing yards in the past 3 games.

Navy Midshipmen (4-0, 3-0)

• Opponent: at Air Force
• Game Time and Network: 12:00 PM ET, CBS
• What’s at Stake?
• Arguably America’s most surprising team, Navy takes the first step toward reclaiming the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy with this weekend’s visit to Air Force. This will be a morning kickoff out West against an Air Force team that has scored just 29 total points in their last 3 games, all losses. Navy is led by brilliant QB Blake Horvath , who also leads the team in rushing and has posted 15 total touchdowns in the season’s first 4 games. Horvath’s emergence as a passer has added a new dimension to the Midshipmen offense. If he had enough attempts to qualify, his passer rating would lead the nation.

Florida State Seminoles (1-4, 1-3)

• Opponent: Clemson
• Game Time and Network: 7:30 PM ET, ESPN
• What’s at Stake?
• With QB DJ Uiagalelei sidelined by injury, Mike Norvell turns to Brock Glenn to try and ignite an offense that ranks 125th in the country. Despite how disappointing Uiagalelei has been this season, Glenn was unable to supplant him before the injury, so it remains to be seen whether he will have much of an impact. Regardless of who is at quarterback though, the problems on this team go much deeper and start with the offensive line. Projected by PFF as a top-10 offensive line heading into the season, the Seminoles rank 131st in the nation in rushing. Against a stout Clemson defense, this one could get ugly and the boo birds could be out early in the Tallahassee night.

Virginia Cavaliers (3-1, 1-0)

• Opponent: Boston College
• Game Time and Network: 12:00 PM ET, ACCN
• What’s at Stake?
• Virginia has a chance to make a move in a wide-open ACC race this weekend against a Boston College team that should have lost to Western Kentucky – at home – last week. The Cavaliers haven’t played since an under-the-radar impressive road victory at Coastal Carolina on September 21st and as long as QB Anthony Colandrea takes care of the football, Virginia will be in any game. Get by the Eagles, and Virginia enters the most challenging portion of their schedule with momentum, as Louisville comes to Charlottesville next week followed by a road trip to Clemson.

Army Black Knights (4-0, 3-0)

• Opponent: at Tulsa
• Game Time and Network: 12:00 PM ET, ESPNU
• What’s at Stake?
• If you’ve read this column previously, you know that I’ve been high on Army since the season started, but the Black Knights have a tricky road game at Tulsa this weekend. Get by the Golden Hurricane and Army has three straight at home before a visit to North Texas and the matchup with Notre Dame in Yankee Stadium. Like Horvath for Navy, Army QB Bryson Daily has been the catalyst for this team, pacing the Black Knights in both passing and rushing. This could be head coach Jeff Monken ’s best team at West Point as this balanced Army squad leads the nation in rushing at 371.3 YPG and holds opponents to just 10.5 PPG, which ranks 6th nationally.

Southern Cal Trojans (3-1, 1-1)

• Opponent: at Minnesota
• Game Time and Network: 7:30 PM ET, BTN
• What’s at Stake?
• This weekend’s matchup with Minnesota is a classic trap game for Lincoln Riley ’s Trojan team. Coming off an emotional comeback win last weekend against Wisconsin, the Trojans head to Minneapolis with No. 7 Penn State looming next weekend. The Golden Gophers are 0-2 in the Big Ten, but PJ Fleck will have his team fired up to face USC under the lights. QB Miller Moss has been spectacular this season, but the Trojans need more from their rushing attack if this team is going to compete for a full season in the Big Ten. USC ranks just 88th in the country in rushing yards per game.

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