The main difference between Notre Dame and Boston College is that the Irish actually among the best in the country in some areas. The overall defense remains strong, especially on the ground, which only makes their own rushing dominance look better than it otherwise might. They also continue to do extremely well in third-down situations on both sides of the ball. First downs, time of possession and penalties all remain strong, too.
Looking at the Eagles, picking up first downs is the only thing they’re extremely good at. Their turnover margin is decent, as are their third and fourth-down conversions. To beat the Irish, they’ll have to do it in the ways where they have a clear advantage, namely the arm of Phil Jurkovec and success in the red zone. It would be nice for them if they got their running game going and were more disciplined, but those don’t appear to be likely possibilities.