ISD Season Predictions
It’s Friday again, and that means game predictions time once again. However, since in the beginning of the season, the ISD staff are offering our thoughts on each game on the regular season schedule. There is certainly a lot to like about this 2024 Irish team. Will any of the staff pick an undefeated season for the 2024 season?
Mike Frank
Texas A&M
This is a hard one for me as I really think ND has a good chance to win this game. I would not be surprised if they did win, and I probably should pick ND to win this game, but I have to think ND will drop one regular season game simply because they always do. I’m picking this game because I think A&M matches up better with ND’s weaknesses than any other team they face on the schedule.
My heart says ND wins, but my head says they’ll drop one of these games as they always do, and this one is the most likely. I will pick against ND in this one because I need to see ND win one of these before I believe, but I do think there’s a solid chance they win.
Texas A&M 20, Notre Dame 17
Northern Illinois
This game may take a bit for the Irish to start firing on all cylinders after a very difficult road game the previous week, but they will start to pull away in the second quarter.
Notre Dame 38, Northern Illinois 6
Purdue
It seems every time we underestimate Purdue, the Boilermakers show up ready to play. This isn’t a good team. Notre Dame should win by a lot. Will they?
Notre Dame 38, Purdue 10
Miami of Ohio
Chuck Martin returns with the hope of being another unranked team to upset the Irish. This game will be important to Martin, and they do have a good defense. It will be a struggle for a half, but the Irish pull away in the second half.
Notre Dame 33, Miami of Ohio 7
Louisville
Jeff Brohm is a great coach. He’s proven that everywhere he’s coached. Nobody expected the Cardinals to upset Notre Dame last season, and nobody will expect that again this year. Still, I expect a heated game. This will be a fun one to watch, and the Irish will come out on top.
Notre Dame 37, Louisville 20
Stanford
After a bye week, Notre Dame should be pretty rested and focused on Stanford. I like having that bye week as it will allow ND time to really dial in and focus on this game. Stanford is an improving team, and they’re coached well. They won’t be a pushover in years to come, but Notre Dame should win this game pretty easily.
Notre Dame 39, Stanford 16
Georgia Tech
After upsetting the Seminoles in their season opener in Ireland, the Wreck will have a lot to get excited about this season. Their two toughest games before Notre Dame are at Louisville and then at North Carolina right before they host Notre Dame. It’s possible they could be undefeated by the time this game is played. Tech can run the football, but I don’t think FSU has a defense anywhere near as good as Notre Dame’s. Having said that, the Irish tend to play poorly when they travel there.
Notre Dame 31, Georgia Tech 24
Navy
I think we are finally past the days where Navy gives the Irish much of a game.
Notre Dame 42, Navy 7
Florida State
I expect the Seminoles to improve as the season goes along. However, they do play Clemson, at Miami and host North Carolina right before they play Notre Dame, so some of the fight could be gone with a few more losses. FSU doesn’t play well in the cold. ND fans have to hope it’s a typical November day in South Bend and this is a night game, which should help.
Notre Dame 31, Florida State 17
Virginia
Senior Day at Notre Dame. This will be the last home game of the season, and I think the Irish roll in this one.
Notre Dame 41, Virginia 9
Army
These late travel games against the academies can be pretty boring, and my guess is the Irish may be tired and less focused on this game with USC next on the schedule. Army is a pretty well-coached team, and they do have a week off to prepare. I could see them showing up ready to play.
Notre Dame 38. Army 13
USC
I don’t care how bad USC is. I don’t care how many injuries they have. They always seem to show up when the game is played out there. I expect another dogfight.
Notre Dame 33 USC 23
Matt Freeman
Texas A&M
It's not pretty, but neither were the Ohio State-Notre Dame games of the past two years. Whoever has the ball in the final four minutes will win this one on sheer will and exhaustion by the opposing defense. In this case, I like Riley Leonard to get loose for a 31-yard touchdown to put this one away.
Notre Dame 21, Texas A&M 17
Northern Illinois
First home game of the year. Notre Dame isn't losing to Northern Illinois. The game will start slow, but after 60 minutes, it's a bloodbath.
Notre Dame 58, Northern Illinois 13
Purdue
A driveable road game? Sign me up. Purdue has some pieces to worry about, but Notre Dame's depth again shines bright. This will be remembered as the Jeremiyah Love game.
Notre Dame 38 Purdue 17
Miami Ohio
Chuck Martin returns to Notre Dame with a quality team and this is no walk in the park for the Irish. That said, Notre Dame has athletes and a lot of speed. This is the game where you really see the impact of Riley Leonard coming into his own with the receiving corps.
Notre Dame 41, Miami OH 10
Louisville
The revenge game. Louisville is talented on paper, but Marcus Freeman has his team locked and loaded. This one isn't close. Notre Dame shuts down the Louisville run game and Leonard jumpstarts his Heisman campaign with 5 touchdowns.
Notre Dame 35, Louisville 17
Stanford
It's Stanford.
Notre Dame 51, Stanford 3
Georgia Tech
Georgia Tech looked good in week one, so it will be interesting to see how they capitalize on the momentum of upsetting Florida State. It's a win the program needed and one they can build on. I don't think this is a trap game as it's between Stanford and Navy, but I think the Yellow Jackets come out on fire at Mercedes Benz Stadium and muck it just enough to upset the Irish.
Georgia Tech 24, Notre Dame 20
Navy
Notre Dame hasn't had issues with the triple-option under Marcus Freeman and that doesn't change in 2024.
Notre Dame, 38 Navy 6
Florida State
Hey. A potential big game! Look at that. Florida State didn't look good week one, but there is no denying they have a talented roster. I believe Mike Norvell will get the Noles on the right track, while not having the special season of a year ago. That said, Notre Dame's offensive line isn't a young group anymore and that matters.
Notre Dame 27, Florida State 20
Virginia
Virginia is going to shock some folks this year. I love the quarterback. Anthony Colandrea has some Baker Mayfield vibes with his style of play and swagger. It wouldn't shock me to see him at a bigger school down the line. Chris Tyree returns to Notre Dame for Senior Day. But once again, depth and athletes matter.
Notre Dame 44, Virginia 24
Army
Notre Dame won't fall victim to the trap game. Leonard accounts for six touchdowns.
Notre Dame 56, Army 14
USC
USC will be beaten down and tired. Road trips to Vegas, Michigan, Minnesota, Maryland and Washington take a toll. That said, if Notre Dame doesn't stop the pass game, it could turn into a long night and that's something the Irish have experienced in LA. With the CFB Playoff on the line, Notre Dame gets the job done behind its run game. Jadarian Price scores twice.
Notre Dame 31, USC 18
Greg Flammang
Texas A&M
Notre Dame is the more established program, the better roster, and frankly the better football team. It’s an opener on the road, against a team with a new regime, a lot of excitement, and talented players. As such, it’ll be a struggle early. But, this team, lead by Riley Leonard, will be ready.
Notre Dame 27, Texas A&M 10
Northern Illinois
The line will look shaky early, and fans will panic, but Notre Dame will hit enough explosives to make this a laugher in the second half.
Notre Dame 38, Northern Illinois 6
Purdue
The Irish look the best they have to this point in the season on offense and score touchdowns on their first four possessions. The defense is stifling early, and the backups yield 10 points in the fourth quarter. Steve Angeli throws a touchdown pass to Micah Gilbert
Notre Dame 42, Purdue 17
Miami OH
The first half is a struggle bus against former Notre Dame assistant Chuck Martin. It’s 17-14 at halftime, the stadium is grumbling, and NBC is foaming at the mouth of the underdog narrative.
Notre Dame 34, Miami OH 14
Louisville
Notre Dame comes out hot in seek of revenge against the Cardinals who embarrassed the Irish last season. The game is close for a quarter, the Irish take control mid second, and never look back.
Notre Dame 40, Louisville 16
Stanford
Notre Dame comes off the bye sluggish and the Cardinal hit them early, going up 14-0. The Irish respond, yet fall behind by 14 points in the 4th quarter. Notre Dame scores with 4 mins left, and Freeman goes for two and fails, gets the ball back, and scores another touchdown with 14 seconds left, goes for two and the tie, and fails. Freeman is livid in the postgame presser that he should have stuck to his guns and kicked two extra points.
Stanford 28, Notre Dame 26
Georgia Tech
Notre Dame responds to a devastating loss with an absolute beat down of a ranked Georgia Tech team to solidify their place in college football.
Notre Dame 45, Georgia Tech 14
Navy
The Irish are firing on all cylinders in this one as the Middies never have a chance to compete and believe they have any hope.
Notre Dame 49, Navy 13
Florida State
The Irish score 40 or more points for the third straight game as Riley Leonard enters the Heisman conversation with a four touchdown game rushing and passing. Florida State loses their 3rd game of the season and is floundering.
Notre Dame 41, Florida State 20
Virginia
Notre Dame cannot stop scoring as one of the nations most potent offenses. The defense is also clicking as the pass rush is getting national recognition as one of the best.
Notre Dame 44, Virginia 13
Army
Another blowout as the Irish roll again on offense. Leonard accounts for another 4 touchdowns and Beaux Collins catches his 10th touchdown of the season.
Notre Dame 45, Army 10
USC
It’s a nervous one for Irish fans in a win and in situation for the Irish as the game is back and forth, but Xavier Watts seals the victory with an interception in the end zone with under a minute to go, and the Irish are safely a playoff team and rolling into the playoffs.
Notre Dame 35, USC 27
Christian McCollum
Texas A&M
The offense isn’t exactly running on all cylinders out of the gates, but the Irish defense carries the day in College Station.
Quarterback Riley Leonard gets things going with his arm and his feet in the second half and Jeremiyah Love finishes with two scores to lead Notre Dame to victory in the opener.
Notre Dame 24, Texas A&M 17
Northern Illinois
Notre Dame’s offense picks up where it left off in the second half against the Aggies and rolls early.
Riley Leonard throws three scoring passes in the first half, one each to Jordan Faison, Jaden Greathouse and Mitchell Evans.
The margin allows for backups and youngsters to play virtually the entire fourth quarter.
Notre Dame 38, Northern Illinois 10
Purdue
This one is a little too close for comfort until the Irish defense put it away with a late turnover.
Jeremiyah Love and JD Price lead the way for the offense, combining for over 300 all-purpose yards and one touchdown each.
Notre Dame 27, Purdue 17
Miami-Ohio
Riley Leonard has his best game to date in an Irish uniform throwing for 300-plus yards and four touchdowns in three-plus quarters of action.
Notre Dame’s defense also turns in its best outing of the season so far and never let the RedHawks get anything going on offense.
Notre Dame 35, Miami-Ohio 3
Louisville
The Irish trip up at home in an ugly game against the Cardinals.
The Irish offense moves the ball, but missed opportunities in the red zone and turnovers short-circuit multiple drives.
Meanwhile, the Irish defense turns in another stellar effort, but a late score by Louisville proves to be the difference.
Irish fans are more happy than ever about the new 12-playoff format.
Louisville 24, Notre Dame 21
Stanford
The Irish bounce back in dominant fashion against the Cardinal.
Riley Leonard is as efficient as he could be, combining for 350 all-purpose yards and four touchdowns.
Notre Dame’s defense is so stout that the score is closer than the actual game as Stanford’s second touchdown comes long after the game has been decided.
Notre Dame 31, Stanford 14
Georgia Tech
The Irish survive a scare in an unexpectedly hostile atmosphere at Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
Riley Leonard has to engineer a fourth-quarter drive to deliver a win for Notre Dame and keep its Playoff hopes alive.
Georgia Tech quarterback Haynes King has more success than any opposing quarterback against the Irish defense this season, but Al Golden’s unit comes up with a huge fourth-quarter stop before Leonard’s late-game heroics.
Notre Dame 28, Georgia Tech 27
Navy
The Irish control this game from the start and Navy isn’t able to get anything going in MetLife Stadium.
Jeremiyah Love scores three touchdowns, including a receiving touchdown, as he cements his status as one of the sport’s true gamebreakers.
Meanwhile, freshman linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa enjoys his breakout performance with 14 tackles, including three for a loss and a forced fumble.
Notre Dame 31, Navy 7
Florida State
The game doesn’t live up to its hype as the Irish dispatch of the Seminoles with little trouble following a tight first half.
Jeremiyah Love and JD Price ice the game in the fourth quarterback, but it’s Riley Leonard’s repeated connections with Jayden Thomas and Mitchell Evans that allow the Irish to cruise to victory.
Notre Dame 42, Florida State 14
Virginia
Transfer receiver Beaux Collins goes off against his former ACC foe, catching 10 passes for 175 yards and two scores.
The Wahoos are able to move the ball early and score 10 in the first quarter before Notre Dame’s defense stiffens in the second half.
Notre Dame 28, Virginia 17
Army
The Irish enjoy another blowout win over a military academy. The Midshipmen are overmatched from the start and much of the second half is dedicated to playing reserves in the Yankee Stadium atmosphere.
Notre Dame 42, Army 17
USC
Notre Dame secures a College Football Playoff bid by beating its West Coast rival. While the Irish control the game from the start, they aren’t able to truly put it away until a long touchdown by Jordan Faison.
Playing in his home state for the first time, freshman linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa puts his stamp on the game, making plays from sideline to sideline throughout.
Notre Dame 31, USC 21
Jamie Uyeyama
Texas A&M
It's not an ideal situation for Notre Dame to open the season in primetime in a true road game. They've done it four times since 2016 and went to overtime against Texas (lost), won a closer than the score looked game against Louisville, went to overtime against Florida State (won), and lost a tight game in the fourth quarter against Ohio State.
The last game was the only one where Marcus Freeman was the head coach and the program looks much different than it did in his very first game. They have more talent at the skill positions, have a dual-threat quarterback with talent and experience, and have a defense that has more playmakers than the one they had in 2021.
They are better, but that doesn't mean this game will be any easier than those previous ones. They'll be tested by Collin Klein's offense and the unpredictability of facing it in week one. They'll also have to overcome going up against a very good Mike Elko defense that has a loaded defensive line. Having a young offensive line with only six career starts playing for the first time in a hostile environment won't help matters.
And yet, Freeman has put together a roster and a staff that is built to meet this type of challenge. They have the kind of explosive ability on offense to create scoring opportunities and they have a deep defense that will be prepared and should make it a long night for A&M's offense.
I think it will be another close one for the Irish, but Riley Leonard will be the difference. HIs ability to turn negative plays into positive ones and his overall ability as a runner will be the difference in getting Notre Dame a win.
Notre Dame 20, Texas A&M 13
Northern IllinoisNorthern Illinois has a ton of seniors on their team, which is one of the reasons why they are considered contenders to win the MAC this fall. That doesn't mean they have a team who can hang with Notre Dame, though.
Antario Brown is a good back, but they're a team who will rely on running the football and don't have an answer at quarterback that will allow them to score enough to keep it close. NIU has played some power conference programs tight, but it's been against lower tier programs and not anyone at the level of Notre Dame.
Notre Dame 45, NIU 6
Purdue
This is another team who lacks the skill talent to put up a lot of points on Notre Dame and they have a lot of questions on defense as well where they are hoping some transfers hit for them at edge rusher and cornerback.
Head coach Ryan Walters has had some very good defenses, but he had the personnel that allowed him to succeed in the way he wanted to with plenty of man coverage and pressure. While I expect them to be better than they were last season on that side of the ball, they still aren't there yet with their personnel to make this a tight game.
Notre Dame 34, Purdue 10
Miami (OH)
I guess the trendy thing for people will be to pick this as a close game, but I don't see it. Chuck Martin has done a nice job with his program, but they've never had an offense that was good enough to score on real defenses.
Notre Dame has a real defense.
Notre Dame 31, Miami (OH) 3
Louisville
Everything went right for Louisville in the transfer portal last season. It's been the opposite so far with the Cardinals losing two of their top additions after the spring and having their projected top receiver break his collarbone in camp.
It doesn't sound like WR Caullin Lacy is going to be back in time for when Louisville visits South Bend. I don't think they have the same kind of skill talent as they had last season and though the defense should keep it tight for the first part of the game, I think the Irish pull away.
Notre Dame 38, Louisville 17
Stanford
I've been saying all offseason that Stanford will be frisky this season and I stand by it. Troy Taylor can coach. Unfortunately he doesn't have a good enough offensive line or defense to be able to knock off a team like Notre Dame on the road yet.
Notre Dame 42, Stanford 20
Georgia Tech
This isn't a true road game, but it's still going to be a tough one for the Irish in their first game away from home since Purdue. Georgia Tech isn't going to back down from anyone, as we saw in week one against Florida State, and Brent Key knows how to get his team ready for big games.
I think the defense isn't as good as people might think because FSU's offense was bad, but DC Tyler Santucci will have a good game plan and QB Haynes King will have some moments that scare Notre Dame fans. The Irish pull out a close one.
Notre Dame 28, Georgia Tech 24
Navy
I have no clue how good Navy will be this fall. Three offensive coordinators in three years is completely different than anything those players have experienced and I have no clue if new OC Drew Cronic was the right hire.
Everything will largely depend on if they find the right quarterback and I'm going to guess they will find that guy for the future, but the offense won't be hitting on all cylinders this season.
Notre Dame 41, Navy 10
FSU
My guess is that DJ Uiagalelei won't be the quarterback by the time they play in South Bend and the offense will be better. However, it will still have a limited ceiling because they just don't have the receivers this season.
That defense will get things figured out and will come to play, but a cold day in November is a bad recipe for the Noles.
Notre Dame 27, FSU 16
Virginia
Virginia has a lot of players returning, but they are really young. That's not something that translates well at a program like that, but I do like some of that young talent quite a bit. QB
Anthony Collandrea should build off his exciting debut and I think Chris Tyree is going to end up having a big year as a featured player in their offense. I don't believe they have enough talent in the front seven to give Notre Dame problems with their defense, though.
Notre Dame goes for 300+ on the ground in a big win.
Notre Dame 39, UVA 16
Army
Army will put up a fight with another solid Nate Woody defense leading the way, but they won't be able to sustain enough drives to take advantage of some early stops by the Army defense.
Notre Dame 45, Army 9
USC
I picked Notre Dame to go 11-1 and to be honest, I don't know where that one loss is coming if it doesn't come this weekend. But I'm sticking to my original prediction and giving them a loss in the regular season to a USC squad who is putting everything into this game after a frustrating year.
Zachariah Branch has one of those days that make him a hated figure in the eyes of Notre Dame fans. A punt return touchdown ends up being the difference.
USC 34, Notre Dame 31
11-1 on the season with Notre Dame being awarded the eight seed in the College Football Playoff rankings.