Tag: showdown

Notre Dame-Clemson: College Gameday host’s bold prediction

Another bold take from him…

Notre Dame is just hours away from hosting its biggest home game of 2022.  Sure, the Irish aren’t playing for a College Football Playoff spot tonight but spoiling Clemson’s chances of earning one would go a long way in salvaging a frustrating first year under [autotag]Marcus Freeman[/autotag].

We made our picks for Saturday’s game earlier in the week and the Fighting Irish Wire staff was split in their selections.  Of course, ESPN’s College Gameday staff made their regular Saturday selections as well.  It was during that segment that Desmond Howard made quite the prediction for tonight’s showdown in South Bend.

“We definitely will see Cade Klubnik tonight,” said Howard.

Klubnik of course came in to relieve Clemson starter D.J. Uiagalelei two weeks ago in helping the Tigers to a fourth-quarter rally to beat Syracuse.

Obviously, Notre Dame fans would sign up for forcing Clemson’s backup into action if they could, even if he was a mega-recruit.

Howard then went on to pick Clemson to win after pulling away late.

See the rest of the College Gameday staff picks for all the Saturday games here.

[listicle id=63896]

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbz1mmy7gev0xbr player_id=none image=https://fightingirishwire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

Watch: Dick Vitale gives Notre Dame-Cincinnati prediction

This final score would be awesome baby!

If you spend any time watching college basketball or follow things at all on social media you’re probably aware that ESPN’s Dick Vitale has a special place in his heart for Notre Dame.  Even during a tough few years for Mike Brey’s basketball program, Vitale is over the top in positivity for Brey and the Irish.

You may or may not know that the Vitale family has a lot of connections to Notre Dame as more than a handful of his loved ones have received degrees from the university.  Vitale is no stranger to South Bend as he posts about attending games fairly regularly and this week is no exception.

Before hopping on a jet and heading north Friday, Vitale shared a little life advice and a prediction for Saturday’s top-10 showdown between Notre Dame and Cincinnati.  Check it out:

So Dicky V has the Irish today in a close one.  As for his part about fun activities:  I thoroughly enjoy Notre Dame football and have through some truly awful seasons but if you’re a fan looking for a team to take away stress this has certainly been a tough one to suggest!

Update – Dickie V must be feeling a little bit more confident on Saturday morning as he now has the Irish winning by nine.

Related:

FIW Staff Predictions for Notre Dame-Cincinnati

Notre Dame releases depth chart for test with No. 8 Cincinnati

Gallery – Brian Kelly during his time at Cincinnati

5 things Luke Fickell said ahead of Notre Dame-Cincinnati

How college football experts are predicting Notre Dame-Cincinnati showdown

 

How to watch Notre Dame vs. Cincinnati

Watch: Notre Dame releases Cincinnati hype tape

Go Irish, beat Bearcats.

Notre Dame and Cincinnati might not be getting the College Gameday treatment but its still as big of game as there is in college football this weekend as it’s the only top-10 matchup.

Related: FIW staff picks for Notre Dame-Cincinnati

Can Cincinnati win what is probably their biggest game in program history?  Or will Notre Dame win yet again on their home turf?

It should be a doozy but if you’re somehow not ready for it yet be sure to check out the hype tape that the Notre Dame advanced media team put out on Friday:

Related:

ESPN FPI projects Notre Dame-Cincinnati

On a scale of 1-10 how confident are you in a Notre Dame victory vs. Cincinnati?

When No. 9 Notre Dame hosts No. 7 Cincinnati it’ll be one of the most impactful games all season in terms of the College Football Playoff (CFP).  Whichever team ends up winning will have gotten through their seemingly most difficult opponent without a loss.

If either is to earn a CFP bid this season they’ll have to go undefeated. Cincinnati for obvious reasons, seeing as they did last year but were essentially capped by the committee as multiple two-loss teams still finished the regular season rankings ahead of the Bearcats.

So what happens Saturday?  Plenty of experts have made their predictions and ours at Fighting Irish Wire will drop soon but here is what ESPN’s FPI says:

ESPN FPI Projected Winner: Notre Dame at 57.9 percent

The FPI currently ranks Notre Dame 13th nationally while the Bearcats check in at 17.  Somehow Clemson ranks fifth despite being 2-2 and having scored just five touchdowns in three games against FBS opponents this season.

Related: How ESPN’s FPI sees Notre Dame’s remaining eight games

Next: Other Notre Dame-Cincinnati Preview Content to be sure to check out

Pages: Page 1, Page 2

Rain on the way for Notre Dame-Cincinnati showdown

Who does rain on Saturday favor: Notre Dame or Cincinnati?

No. 7 Notre Dame and No. 8 Cincinnati are set to meet in a showdown Saturday that has major College Football Playoff (CFP) implications. The winner doesn’t necessarily have a free path to the CFP but each will be clear of their biggest obstacles.

What will the weather be like as Cincinnati makes their first trip to Notre Dame Stadium for what is likely the biggest game in program history?

A perfect temperature but perhaps a chance of rain for part of the contest according to Meteorologist Matt Yarosewick of WNDU:

Gone are the days of natural grass at Notre Dame Stadium which means wet conditions no longer tear up the track quite like they used to.  However, the elements can still make for slipping issues and it more difficult to hold onto the football.

Related:

Notre Dame releases depth chart for test with No. 7 Cincinnati

Notre Dame’s 2022 football schedule nearly finalized

Notre Dame’s all-time winningest football coaches

Kirk Herbstreit releases new top-six rankings

Watch it: Notre Dame star Kyle Hamilton ejected for targeting

Star Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton has been ejected for the rest of the North Carolina game for targeting. Watch the play right now.

Notre Dame’s best player in the secondary and one of the best safeties in all of college football is Kyle Hamilton, who earned pre-season All-American honors by various outlets.

Despite not yet having an interception in 2020 his impact has been huge in Notre Dame entering Friday’s game at North Carolina 8-0.

Hamilton made a few huge plays early to stop North Carolina drives and keep the Tar Heels from putting even more points up early.

However, on a third and 20 late in the second quarter, Hamilton came crashing down to make a stop, but couldn’t slow himself up enough to avoid a targeting call that got him ejected.  Watch it below.

North Carolina would go on to kick a field goal to take a 17-14 lead that possession.

Notre Dame would respond quickly getting downfield and getting a 32-yard field goal from Jonathan Doerer to tie things up at 17 before halftime.

Watch it: Notre Dame star Kyle Hamilton ejected for targeting

Star Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton has been ejected for the rest of the North Carolina game for targeting. Watch the play right now.

Notre Dame’s best player in the secondary and one of the best safeties in all of college football is Kyle Hamilton, who earned pre-season All-American honors by various outlets.

Despite not yet having an interception in 2020 his impact has been huge in Notre Dame entering Friday’s game at North Carolina 8-0.

Hamilton made a few huge plays early to stop North Carolina drives and keep the Tar Heels from putting even more points up early.

However, on a third and 20 late in the second quarter, Hamilton came crashing down to make a stop, but couldn’t slow himself up enough to avoid a targeting call that got him ejected.  Watch it below.

North Carolina would go on to kick a field goal to take a 17-14 lead that possession.

Notre Dame would respond quickly getting downfield and getting a 32-yard field goal from Jonathan Doerer to tie things up at 17 before halftime.

Clemson has arrived at Notre Dame Stadium

Clemson doesn’t usually stop by an opposing stadium the day before a game but did on Friday afternoon when they arrived at Notre Dame.

The No. 1 Clemson Tigers arrived in South Bend on Friday afternoon and as Dabo Swinney discussed earlier this week, stopped by Notre Dame Stadium the day before the game.

That move is something that doesn’t usually happen for Clemson when they hit the road, something Swinney pointed out.  He said that because of the uniqueness of the Carrier Dome at Syracuse that they’ll check out that venue the day before the game.

Notre Dame also fit that mold, as Swinney pointed out that he was excited to see Touchdown Jesus in person.

Dressing for success was certainly a memo that was received by the Clemson football team as they showed up dressed a far cry from Florida State’s track jacket and green and gold FSU hats back in 1993.

Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday night between No. 1 Clemson and No. 4 Notre Dame.  The game can be seen on NBC.

This is only the second trip ever to Notre Dame Stadium for Clemson, who beat the Irish in South Bend 16-10 in 1979.

 

Two more defensive players out for Clemson vs. Notre Dame

The injury and health bugs continue to bite the Clemson Tigers ahead of their showdown with Notre Dame on Saturday.

When No. 1 Clemson heads to No. 4 Notre Dame this weekend the Tigers will already be playing short handed as star quarterback Trevor Lawrence is out while getting back from COVID-19 while linebacker James Skalski also remains out.

Now you can add two more defensive players to that list for Clemson as defensive tackle Tyler Davis and linebacker Mike Jones both won’t travel to South Bend according to Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney on Wednesday.

Davis is a regular starter at defensive tackle and was named to the ACC’s All Second-Team as a freshman in 2019.  Jones is in his first year as a starter for Clemson.

As Brian Kelly stated Monday however, it’s not like the second and third string players on Clemson are lacking for talent.  That’s the case when you’re looking at perhaps the deepest roster in terms of talent in all of college football.

As for Notre Dame their biggest injury concern as of Wednesday evening remains speedy wide receiver Braden Lenzy who has already been ruled out by Kelly.