Notre Dame Football Schedule 2024: 5 Things to Know About Stanford, October 12

Stanford comes to Notre Dame on October 12th. What are the five things you need to know about the Cardinal?

Nov 25, 2023; Stanford, California, USA; Stanford Cardinal quarterback Ashton Daniels (14) throws on the run while being pursued by Notre Dame Fighting Irish linebacker JD Bertrand (27) during the third quarter at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports / D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports

At this point in the 2024 college football season, this is when Notre Dame should be rolling right along.

After dealing with Louisville, the Irish get a week off and should be rested and ready for a manageable three-week run before getting another week to rest up before dealing with Florida State.

With a trip to Georgia Tech up next and a date with Navy in East Rutherford, NJ to follow, this is the last home game for almost a month, and they have to take advantage.

Stanford should be stronger than last season - it lost to the Irish 56-23 - and should be a bit beaten up because ...

5. Stanford isn't getting any sort of a scheduling break here

Notre Dame is getting a week off to rest up from the first wave of games. Stanford is on the third road trip in four weeks.

As a new ACC member, the Cardinal schedule all of a sudden takes on a brutal cross-country turn. The team plays three road games in four dates in November, and it's coming into South Bend after flying to Syracuse, then dealing with a road game at Clemson, then going back to Palo Alto to face Notre Dame, and then flying to back out to face the Irish.

4. The Stanford offensive line should be stronger

For years the Stanford offensive line was one of the team's biggest positives as the base for a whole lot of very, very strong teams. If you want to know why the Cardinal crashed recently, it starts here, and it's because the running game stopped working.

In last year's game Stanford ran well - averaging 4.6 yards per carry - but under then first-year head coach Troy Taylor is was all about building everything back up. All five starters are expected to be back up front.

3. Stanford's defense has more playmakers

If the O line was Problem 1 for Stanford over the last few years, the defensive dominance was a close second. It all tied together - the offense didn't control games as easily, and the defense didn't make enough big things happen to get off the field.

There's still a question mark about the line, but the Stanford linebacking corps has a slew of experienced tacklers who should combine to be one fo the team's biggest strengths. This year's defense will be better at getting into the backfield, but even so ...

2. Notre Dame ... run, run ... RUN

All the Irish did in last year's 33 point win was run, run, and run some more. Stanford dominated the time of possession battle, but that's only because the Notre Dame offense became too brutally effective after getting down early.

Notre Dame ran for 381 yards and averaged close to eight yards per carry - Audric Estime wore the Cardinal as a hat with 238 yards and four scores. Last season Stanford got walloped whenever it allowed 180 rushing yards or more.

1. The Cardinal will bring the passing game

Stanford will try to run more and be more effective, but the team's bread will be buttered by what should be one of the ACC's most dangerous pitch-catch combinations.

Again with the youth movement, Stanford relied on two great players in QB Ashton Daniels and WR Elic Ayomanor to crank up their production even more.

There's depth at the receiving corps, the veteran line should give Daniels more time to work, and this should be a second straight stress test game for the Notre Dame secondary coming off the date with Louisville.

Notre Dame vs Stanford early summer prediction is ...

It'll be a better game than last year's blasting.

Notre Dame has won four of the last five in the series - but was shocked at home by a bad Cardinal team two years ago - and should pull this off as it pulls away in the second half.

Last year's team was able to hang 56 on the board and win easily after a rocky first quarter, and that was with four turnovers. This season it won't quite as impressive, and the team will have to keep trying a bit in the fourth quarter, but Stanford will start to stall too often in the second half.

Notre Dame 44, Stanford 20
- Stanford University 2024 Preview
- Aug 31: Texas A&M 5 Things to Know
- Sept 7: NIU 5 Things to Know
- Sept 14: Purdue 5 Things to Know
- Sept 21: Miami Univ. 5 Things to Know
- Sept 28: Louisville 5 Things to Know