Notre Dame vs. Stanford Spread, Line, Odds, Predictions, Picks, and Betting Preview

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish (10-1) look to make one last impression on the playoff committee as they head to Palo Alto to take on the Stanford Cardinal (3-8).

The Irish sit at #5 in the most recent College Football Playoff Rankings, just behind the team that handed them their only loss of the season — the Cincinnati Bearcats. There are still a lot of dominoes left to fall, but the Irish retain a shot at sneaking into the playoffs.

They get a prime opportunity to make a final statement against a miserable Stanford team that has lost six straight. Last week’s 41-11 loss to Cal was even uglier than the final score indicates. Cal won the yardage battle 636 to 290, a testament to the Cardinal’s ineptitude on both sides of the football. Head coach David Shaw allegedly has an infinitely long leash to work with, but things have gotten very stale at Stanford. 

Brian Kelly continues to work wonders in South Bend. The box scores and advanced statistics pointed out that this was a very flawed team to start the season. The offensive line couldn’t block, Marcus Freeman’s defense was getting torched, and there were no answers at the quarterback position. 

Fast forward to the end of the season, and all of those answers have been addressed. The running game has eclipsed 200 yards in three of four games behind an improved line, the defense hasn’t allowed a single touchdown in November, and quarterback Jack Coan has played his role admirably.

There’s nothing positive to say about the Stanford side of things both as a team and a program. They appear to be in for it this Saturday.

Pick: Notre Dame -20