(6) Notre Dame @ (10) Miami (FL)

As a classic rivalry is revisited tonight on South Beach, Notre Dame is looking to pick themselves back up off the mat after coming oh so close to capturing their first National Championship since 1988. (Head Coach) Marcus Freeman has done a tremendous job of reshaping the program in his image after taking over back in 2022, putting in serious work on the recruiting front, while making good use of the Transfer Portal to boot. This Fall, the 39-year-old has 14 returning starters, including 7 on each side of the football, though must find a solution at Quarterback for a fourth consecutive campaign. This is where the Portal has been good to the Fighting Irish, who have struck gold with the likes of Drew Pyne, Sam Hartman, and Riley Leonard in recent years, all of which were readymade Seniors that could be immediately plugged into the scheme. However, this year will see Freeman depart from the strategy as (Redshirt Freshman) C.J. Carr (more about him in a bit) won the starting job. Notre Dame have also made a change at Defensive Coordinator following Al Golden's departure to the Cincinnati Bengals, as (former Rutgers HC) Chris Ash arrives to fill that void. With a tough early schedule consisting of Texas A&M and a trip to Arkansas following tonight's battle with Miami, it could very well be a trial by fire for these new faces...

Things to Know: Notre Dame is a stellar 33-9 SU and 29-12 ATS in 3 seasons under Freeman, including 13-6 SU & 15-4 ATS versus ranked opponents. He is also 10-3 ATS away from South Bend, 24-10 ATS as a favorite, and 3-0 ATS in season openers. Furthermore, the Fighting Irish have covered 7 of their last 9 outings as a road favorite, while going 4-1 ATS in the month of August. ND are on a 17-2 run ATS versus the ACC. All-time, the Irish are 18-8-1 SU against Miami, with tonight's meeting marking their first since 2017. That one was ugly for the visitors, who were obliterated 41-8 at Hard Rock Stadium, amassing just 261 total yards and committing an untenable 4 turnovers. As we touched upon earlier, the schedule is unforgiving for Freeman & Co, who face a combined opponent win percentage of .696, which is the highest of any team in the nation this Fall.

Playmaker to Watch: This one is going to have to be C.J. Carr, for a variety of reasons. As we explained earlier, Freeman has regularly went shopping in the Portal for a veteran QB, with the likes of Pyne, Hartman, and Leonard each enjoying success in South Bend. However, Carr has yet to throw a single pass for the Fighting Irish, which means this season is likely to come with some growing pains for the former 5-star recruit. Fortunately, (Offensive Coordinator) Mike Denbrock has remained with the program, which should be key to Carr's development. Denbrock was a key figure at LSU in developing the likes of Joe Burrow and Jayden Daniels into Heisman sensations, while tailoring the attack to Leonard's skillset last Fall. Safe to say, the kid is in good hands.

Meanwhile, despite dropping 3 of their final 4 games, last season was one of the most successful in years for Miami, who enjoyed 10 wins for only the SECOND time since 2003. Like his counterpart on the opposite sideline, (Head Coach) Mario Cristobal has really worked the Transfer Portal, turning the Hurricanes into a destination for veteran talent. Last Fall, the 54-year-old struck gold with the addition of (Washington State transfer) Cam Ward, who would go on to become the #1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, passing for 4,313 yards and 39 TDs. Furthermore, the offense was one of the most prolific in the nation, averaging a robust 43.9 points on 537.2 total yards, equating to 6.95 yards per play (1st in FBS). Replacing him is (former Georgia QB) Carson Beck (more on him shortly), who will be looking to bounce back after an uneven final run in Athens. Moreover, this season will be about fixing a porous defense that relinquished far too many big plays in 2024; the Canes shipped 37.3 points per game in their 3 losses, which came by a combined 10 points. As such, (Defensive Coordinator) Corey Hetherman arrives from Minnesota, where he guided the Gophers to a strong showing on that side of the ball, yielding just 16.9 points per game (9th in FBS) with 21 takeaways.

Things to Know: Since returning to his alma mater, Cristobal is 22-16 SU and 13-22 ATS at Miami, though is a dreadful 1-5 SU and 2-4 ATS versus ranked opponents. Furthermore, he is 6-11 ATS at home, 4-7 ATS as an underdog, and 6-5 ATS against non-conference opponents. The Hurricanes have struggled against independent programs (1-6 ATS). Including his tenures at Florida International and Oregon, Cristobal has never enjoyed consecutive 10-win campaigns, though it should be noted that the 2 previous occasions were followed by differing circumstances; his 2019 run with the Ducks (12-2) was followed by the wild & crazy COVID season in which the Pac-12 was hit harder than most conferences, while his 2021 term (10-3) was his last in Eugene before accepting Miami's advances. The Hurricanes enjoyed a SOFT schedule last Fall, with nary a single ranked opponent until crossing paths with Iowa State in the Pop Tarts Bowl. This season, they face 3 such adversaries in the first 8 games, though they won't play a single contest outside of the state of Florida until November 11th (at SMU).

Playmaker to Watch: Following the prolific campaign enjoyed by Cam Ward last Fall, Miami was always going to be a logical landing spot for Carson Beck ($4 million in NIL had a say in the matter). After his tenure in Georgia ended in disappointing fashion, leading the SEC in INT (12), Beck was in need of a change of scenery. Opinions may vary on the Senior, but there is reason to believe that emulate Ward's success; this kid started 2 seasons in the SEC and dealt with the pressure of taking the reins of a program that just won back-to-back national titles, while leading the conference in passes (417), completions (302), and passing yards (3,941) with a solid TD/INT ratio of 24/6 in 2023. However, the Bulldogs lost a wealth of talent to the NFL draft last Fall, with the veteran QB plagued by drops and injuries, with the latter ultimately ending his campaign prematurely. With (Offensive Coordinator) Shannon Dawson remaining in Miami, Beck could be in for a Heisman-caliber revival.

Our Take: Miami 27, Notre Dame 20