Game Prediction: No. 7 Cincinnati Bearcats vs. No. 9 Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Everything seems to be aligning properly for Cincinnati to have a legitimate case to be the first Group of 5 team to make the 4-team College Football Playoff. Several other Power 5 programs have lost or struggled, the Bearcats have already beaten Indiana and could certainly run the table in their conference.
Notre Dame had a monster fourth quarter against Wisconsin last weekend, but that may have been the only "great" quarter of football they've played all year. This is a HUGE game with MAJOR playoff implications at stake for both sides.
Here's what our staff is expecting on Saturday in South Bend!
CINCINNATI at NOTRE DAME – Saturday, 2:30 p.m.
Spread: Cincinnati (-2.0)
O/U Total: 50.5
Brendan Gulick: Cincinnati 27, Notre Dame 25
Can I admit that I'm rooting for the Bearcats here? There aren't many schools in the country that have more fun that UC and they've been fighting so hard to earn a seat at the big boy's table. Now they're finally headed for the Big 12, but the conference has been significantly watered down with Texas and Oklahoma sprinting to the SEC.
I have major concerns about Notre Dame's offensive line and I am still not sure if Jack Coan can lead the Irish to an unbeaten season and a playoff appearance (especially if he isn't 100 percent healthy). Their defense was much improved in the fourth quarter last week, but I still think Notre Dame has a long way to go. I'd love to know the last time the Irish weren't the betting favorites at home against a non-Power 5 team.
I'm expecting a classic here. Bearcats nail a field goal as time expires and keep their dreams alive!
Andrew Lind: Cincinnati 24, Notre Dame 21
The Fighting Irish are the biggest remaining hurdle for the Bearcats, who can assert themselves as a legitimate threat to make it to the College Football Playoff with a win. A loss means the best they can hope for is a New Year’s Six Bowl for the second year in a row.
It will be interesting to see which Notre Dame team shows up – the one that should have got beat by Florida State and Toledo or the one that played great defensively and on special teams against Wisconsin? The health of quarterback Jack Coan could play a big role in that.
If Cincinnati quarterback Desmond Ridder can avoid turnovers on the road, the Bearcats will come away with a massive victory. And then with the schedule taking a step back, the talk about whether or not Luke Fickell will eventually leave for the USC job will only become louder.
Game Prediction: No. 11 Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Caleb Spinner: Cincinnati 38, Notre Dame 31
I don’t know what’s wrong with you if you’re not watching this game. Two top-10 opponents who rarely meet has more than enough to watch for, even excluding their current undefeated statuses. This game could very well decide which of these teams (if either) make the College Football Playoff (CFP). I’m taking Cincinnati in this one almost solely due to the close calls Notre Dame has had up to this point against teams they should have beaten decisively (like Toledo, for example).
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