For the 40th time, the 3rd-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish will take on the visiting Stanford Cardinal in the battle for the Legends Trophy. The Irish are looking to advance to 6-0 and continue their surge to the 2026 College Football Playoffs. Head coach Marcus Freeman has this team firing on all cylinders while Stanford is still breaking in first year head coach Tavita Pritchard who has played and coached in this rivalry in years past. This matchup has been dominated by Notre Dame in recent years, but as we know in college football, anything can happen when rivals come to town. 

Where: Notre Dame, Ind. - Notre Dame Stadium
When: 3:30 PM ET
Television: NBC - Dan Hicks (play-by-play), Jason Garrett (analyst), Caroline Pineda (sideline)
Radio: Tony Simeone (play-by-play), Mike Golic Sr. (analyst); SiriusXM 84
Line: Notre Dame -37.5; O/U 54.5

Notre Dame is one of, if not the hottest, team in college football right now. They're on a historic run, no 'ifs' or 'buts' about it. They're currently the winners of 15-straight games and have won all of those games by double digits. The Irish are creeping up on Miami's all-time record of winning 17 straight. This is simply a level of dominance I have not seen at Notre Dame in my lifetime. But that's not the main goal of the weekend and not the main goal for the season. 

After the ending to their 2025 season, the Irish have their eyes set on ending their national title drought and they have the coaching staff and the players to get that done. Junior quarterback CJ Carr is playing out of his mind over the last two games and will look to continue to do so against a reeling Stanford defense. The Fighting Irish defense has the opportunity for a 'get right' game against the Cardinal offense. This is a matchup that heavily favors the Irish, but they'll have to execute, play to their potential and leave no doubt in this rivalry matchup.  

Stanford is under new management with Pritchard stepping in as head coach. You need a coach at the helm for the Cardinal that understands the type of players and development needed at a place like Stanford and Pritchard understands that completely. He's also been a coach on the staff in previous years when facing the Irish. He was the offensive coordinator in their last victory over the Irish in South Bend when they picked up an upset victory 16-14. 

Unfortunately the level talent gap between the Irish and the Cardinal is even more glaring from top to bottom than it was in 2022. Stanford still have quality players on their roster, but they lack the top-level talent on both sides of the ball to compete with the Notre Dame's and the Miami's of the world. Still, players like quarterback Davis Warren, running back Micah Ford, left tackle Niki Prongos, defensive end Tevarua Tafiti and linebacker Matt Rose, if he plays, could make this matchup more competitive than what it may seem on paper. 

This is a series the Irish started dominating in recent seasons. They hold an all-time lead of 25-14 but have won six of the last seven meetings. Back in the early to mid 2010s, this was a series that was dominated by Stanford. But lately, since their falloff, the Irish have had their number and have had it convincingly. This is a rivalry that I've grown fond of over the years and Stanford's return to relevance would further my support of the battle for the Legend's Trophy. 

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