The 5th-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish (8-1) look to win their third straight game when they take on the Boston College Eagles (4-5). Notre Dame jumped way up in the College Football Playoff rankings after their win over previous No. 1 ranked Miami last weekend. If Notre Dame wants to solidify its playoff standing the Irish will need to not only beat Boston College, but they will need to dominate.

Location: Notre Dame Stadium (Notre Dame, Ind.)
Date: Saturday - November 14
Time: 3:30 PM ET
Network: NBC
Line: Notre Dame -29.5; O/U - 52.5

Here are the Irish Breakdown staff predictions for this game:

Prediction: Notre Dame 41, Boston College 10

Notre Dame is certainly capable of a more convincing win over the Eagles, a team they have beaten 10 straight times, including five straight blowout wins. But I also understand that a potential letdown early in the game is possible, and that's where my score comes from. After the emotional win over the Hurricanes, I won't be shocked if the offense is a little sluggish early on against a scrappy Boston College defense. Eventually they'll find their way and both CJ Carr and the Irish ground attack will get going. Notre Dame's offense will take control of the game after the slow start and will pile up yards and points from the second quarter on. Notre Dame has an athleticism advantage in this matchup, but Boston College is a really well coached defense and they don't give up a lot of big plays. Hopefully Notre Dame offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock will be able to find some soft spots against their zone looks and allow Carr to put up big numbers in the win.

On the other side of the ball, the key is whether or not Chris Ash continues calling an aggressive game like we saw last week, or if he reverts back to the passive style we saw the previous three games. If Ash turns his defense loose they should dominate the Boston College offense, which hasn't done much this season. Boston College especially struggles up front, and if allowed to do so the Irish front should be able to completely take over this game, which will put quarterback Mason McKenzie in a really tough spot. If the defense is locked in from the start they might not give up a point in this game, but like I discussed on offense, I won't be shocked if we see a bit of a sloppy start.

Prediction: Notre Dame 52, Boston College 0

After beating No. 1 Miami, the Irish jumped six spots in the rankings up to 5th in the latest edition of the CFP rankings. Now, it's about avoiding the daunted 'let-down' game against a team that's hurt national title chances for the Irish in the past. But this isn't the same Boston College team that made the trip to South Bend 33 years ago and this team, led by head coach Marcus Freeman, has put their days of underperforming against inferior competition behind them.

I think Notre Dame gets their second shut out of the second and second shut out against BC in Freeman's career. Fact of the matter is that the Eagles just aren't talented enough to hang with the Irish. I have the Fighting Irish cruise to their 9th win of the 2026 season. 

Prediction: Notre Dame 45, Boston College 13

Notre Dame is coming off a huge 31-24 victory over Miami, and I think the Irish carry that momentum into this weekend. That was an important win for the program and its College Football Playoff hopes, and now they have an opportunity to take care of business at home against a Boston College team that shouldn't have the personnel to match up with them. I expect CJ Carr and the offense to continue building on what has been a strong season, particularly with the running game helping control the tempo. Boston College will have a difficult time keeping up if Notre Dame gets rolling early.

Defensively, I think this is a good opportunity for Notre Dame to have a much more comfortable afternoon. The Irish should be able to win the battle up front, create pressure and make Boston College work for everything it gets offensively. Notre Dame cannot afford to overlook anybody with so much still on the line, but the talent difference in this matchup is significant. I expect Marcus Freeman's team to jump out early, control the game throughout and get some younger players valuable experience in the second half. This should be a convincing Irish victory.

Prediction: Notre Dame 41, Boston College 6

This is Boston College's Super Bowl and the Eagles will throw the kitchen sink at a Notre Dame team coming off an emotional win over Miami. The parallels to 1993 are unmistakable, but Marcus Freeman's teams have typically played their best in November, and I look for the win over Miami to be a huge confidence boost for the program and an accelerator for this team to reach its peak. Boston College has a decent defense, ranking 50th overall, but the Eagles just do not have the athletes to match up with Notre Dame for four quarters, and I look for the Irish to lean on the Boston College defensive line to establish the running game, force the Eagles to commit defenders to the box, and allow CJ Carr to attack over the top.

On the other side of the ball, I struggle to see how Boston College is able to reach the end zone if Notre Dame's defense plays a similar scheme to how the Irish attacked Miami.  Boston College ranks 115th in the nation in passing, and with such a one-dimensional offense, Notre Dame will be able to get numbers to the point of attack in the run game and trust the secondary to hold up in man coverage. 

Prediction: Notre Dame 42, Boston College 14

First off, I took a little bit of flack on the board for being the only staffer to predict a Miami victory last week. I don’t regret my prediction; as I wrote then, a Notre Dame win wouldn’t have shocked me. Notre Dame met all the conditions I mentioned that would be needed to win, snatching an early lead over Miami, setting the tone for the rest of the game, and the Irish played their best ball so far this season. Immense credit is deserved toward the Irish staff for having this team ready and prepared against the Hurricanes. The Irish are now in control of their own destiny and should make the college football playoff after missing it last year. I don’t expect Boston College to give them too many fits on Saturday.

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