The 12th-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish (5-2) travel to Chestnut Hill, MA to take on the Boston College Eagles (1-7). This is Notre Dame's first trip to Alumni Stadium since 2020 and will look to extend their win streak in this series to 10 games in a row. Their last meeting, in 2022, the Irish emerged victorious beat the Eagles in South Bend 44-0; this was also the last time Notre Dame shut out an opponent. Boston College will be looking to end their seven-game losing streak in what will be their toughest matchup of the season up to this point.
Where: Chestnut Hill, MA - Alumni Stadium
When: 3:30 PM EST
Television: ESPN: Roy Philpott (play-by-play); Brock Osweiler (analyst); Stormy Buonantony (sideline)
Radio: Notre Dame Radio Network: Tony Simeone (play-by-play); Ryan Harris (analyst); SiriusXM 129
Spread: Notre Dame -28.5; O/U 56.5 (FanDuel)
What To Know: Notre Dame Fighting Irish
After starting the season 0-2, the Irish have rattled off five straight wins, all of them by double digits. They beat Purdue by 26, Arkansas by 43, Boise State by 21, NC State by 29 and USC by 10. Notre Dame is coming off of their second and final bye week of the season and will look to go 5-0 in the month of November and put themselves in prime position to make another run in the College Football Playoffs. On offense, they're led by quarterback CJ Carr who is off to a good start in his first year starting. Their backfield, consisting of Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price is everything we hoped it would be, potentially better. The offensive line has dealt with some injuries, but once again, the depth has prevailed and will look to maintain their streak of good performances against Boston College.
Defensively, this far removed from the unit they were against Miami, Texas A&M and Purdue. They haven't allowed an opponent to score in the fourth quarter since Purdue and have not allowed an opponent to score over 24 points since their rough start. Defensive coordinator Chris Ash, along with the rest of the defensive staff, have this unit performing at a high level. They've racked up 12 total turnovers in the last four games and have done a significantly better job of getting after the quarterback. The month of November will be huge for this group; if they finish strong, their chances of making another run in the playoffs increases dramatically.
What To Know: Boston College Eagles
Boston College doesn't remotely resemble the program that went 7-5 in the regular season last year. Unfortunately, the Eagles were eliminated from post-season contention before November even hit. They've lost seven straight games after beating the Fordham Rams in the season opener 66-10 and it's been downhill since. Head coach Bill O'Brien made a change at quarterback; Grayson James is now the starter, but the offensive output hasn't improved since he took over. They have talent at the skilled positions including running back Turbo Richard and pass catchers Lewis Bond, Reed Harris and Jeremiah Franklin, but their offensive line woes have held this offense back in the recent weeks.
The story on defense is even worse. They rank 126th in the country in points allowed, 111th in the country in yards allowed per game, 101st in the country in rushing yards allowed, 112th in passing yards allowed and 111th in red zone defense. Their last four opponents have scored at least 38 points in each game and there isn't signs of much improvement. Injuries have played a factor for both sides of the ball, but O'Brien and the Boston College Eagles are reeling. Its now about finishing this season strong and attempting to end on a high note, but they have Notre Dame, SMU, Georgia Tech and Syracuse to finish out their schedule.
Notre Dame and Boston College have met 27 times in the past including Notre Dame's vacated win from the 2012 season. The Irish lead the all time series 18-9 and have won nine straight games in this rivalry. Boston College's last win in this series came in 2008 winning 17-0 inside of Alumni Stadium.
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