Miami visits Notre Dame in top matchup
The No. 1 Hurricanes face the Fighting Irish in a rematch that will determine playoff positioning for both teams.
By Nour Haddad ·
Fans of the top two Atlantic Coast Conference teams will see their fates converge this weekend. The No. 1 Miami Hurricanes travel to South Bend, Indiana, to face the No. 4 Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Saturday. The game is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET and will air on NBC.
This rivalry dates back to last year's season, when Miami defeated Notre Dame. That victory helped secure a College Football Playoff bid for the Hurricanes, who went on to play in the championship game. Notre Dame chose not to participate in the postseason following that loss.
Miami enters the contest with an 8-0 record and the highest scoring offense in the country, averaging 47.6 points per game. Quarterback Darian Mensah and receiver Malachi Toney are both contenders for the Heisman Trophy. However, the defense showed some inconsistency in a recent comeback win at North Carolina on Saturday.
Notre Dame holds a 7-1 record. The Fighting Irish lost their only game of the season on Oct. 17 to No. 7 BYU. This matchup marks the first of four consecutive games against ACC opponents that will conclude Notre Dame's schedule.
A high-stakes game takes place earlier in the week when Virginia Tech travels to SMU on Friday at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN. Both teams sit at 6-2 overall. SMU dropped a recent game to Syracuse, which allowed Wake Forest to take the lead in the ACC standings chase. Virginia Tech is in its first season under head coach James Franklin. The result could determine which team advances in the conference race.
Clemson travels to Syracuse on Saturday at noon ET on ESPN2. The Tigers are 5-3 overall and 3-2 in the conference. They have no margin for error after losses to Miami and Virginia Tech. Syracuse, which is 4-4 overall, has improved recently, beating North Carolina in overtime and upsetting SMU last week.
North Carolina State running back Davion Gause is stepping up as starter Duke Scott recovers from an injury. Gause carried the ball 19 times for 104 yards and a touchdown in the Wolfpack's win over California. That performance was his best since transferring from UNC. He is set to play against Duke on Saturday.
Louisville quarterback Lincoln Kienholz has run for five touchdowns during the Cardinals' current three-game winning streak. The team cannot afford a loss in its trip to Georgia Tech on Saturday.
Duke running back Nate Sheppard ranks fifth in the nation in rushing, averaging 121.5 yards per game. He is also third in rushing touchdowns with 14, after scoring five times in a recent win over Boston College.
Florida State visits Boston College on Saturday in its first game under interim coach Rick Stockstill, who replaced Mike Norvell. The Eagles had scored 27 points against Pittsburgh and 49 points at Georgia Tech before losing 47-2 to Duke. North Carolina defensive line coach Bob Diaco faces his former team, UConn, on Saturday. Diaco coached the Huskies from 2014 to 2016 and went 11-26 in three seasons. Wake Forest hosts Merrimack on Saturday after scoring at least 38 points in four straight games, including a 51-7 win over Virginia. California, Pittsburgh, Stanford, and Virginia do not play this week.
