Notre Dame gets back to action this weekend when it takes on the Boston College Eagles. It's Notre Dame's last chance to make an impression on the College Football Playoff committee ahead of the first rankings release on Tuesday. It's also the latest installment of the rivalry with Boston College.

Location: Alumni Stadium
Date: Saturday - November 1
Time: 3:30 PM ET
Network: ESPN
Line: Notre Dame -28.5, O/U: 55.5

Irish Breakdown's staff has made predictions for this matchup.

BRYAN DRISKELL, OWNER

Prediction: Notre Dame 45, Boston College 7

This is a very uneven matchup that I expect Notre Dame to dominate. Boston College has given up over 500 yards and at least 38 points to its last three Power 4 opponents, and none of them have the offense that Notre Dame brings into this matchup. My only question for the Notre Dame offense is do they start off hot like they did against Purdue and Arkansas, or will they wake up more in the second and third quarter, like we saw against Texas A&M, Boise State and NC State. That will determine if Notre Dame gets to 45 points by the end of the game, or if they get closer to 45 points by halftime. 

Boston College is going to have a hard time containing Notre Dame's skill talent on offense. Running backs Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price should continue their dominance, and the Irish wideouts have favorable matchups as well. The key for Notre Dame is how quickly can the new-look offensive line gel, and can they protect quarterback CJ Carr. If they do I expect Carr to have a big day.

Boston College has some skill talent on offense, but its line has struggled all season and there is uncertainty at quarterback. If the Irish defense keeps playing like it has the last three games the Eagles will have a very tough time moving the ball enough to make this game competitive.

VINCE DEDARIO, FOOTBALL ANALYST

Prediction: Notre Dame 45, Boston College 14

Notre Dame should have no problem rolling past Boston College this week. The Irish are looking to find their rhythm offensively, and when that happens, things will snowball fast for the Eagles. The run game has been humming behind a physical offensive line, and I expect the offense to look confident and balanced. BC’s defense has been scrappy at times, but they don’t have the horses up front to handle Notre Dame’s ground-and-pound mixed with play-action shots downfield. Expect Notre Dame to come out firing early, set the tone, and never really look back.

Defensively, Notre Dame’s front seven should feast. Boston College’s offensive line has struggled in protection all year, and that’s a bad recipe against a defense that’s been pinning its ears back lately. The Irish have been forcing turnovers and getting off the field on third down, and that’s where this one turns into a rout. Add in the motivation of keeping that Leahy Trophy in South Bend and you’ve got the makings of a dominant, four-quarter showing. When it’s all said and done, it feels like one of those games where Notre Dame just flexes its depth and talent so 45-14 sounds about right.

TREVOR TROWBRIDGE, STAFF WRITER

Prediction: Notre Dame 51, Boston College 10

Let's face it, Boston College is not a good football team. They have good individual pieces, but that clearly hasn't been enough. They've lost seven games in a row and are sitting at 1-7 on the season. Notre Dame is coming out of the bye week after rattling off five straight wins and will be looking to kickoff their November campaign with a resounding win over Boston College. 

Unlike some other predictions, I never see this game being overly close at any point in the four quarters. The Irish offense will come out hot and look like they did similar to Arkansas. Defensively, barring a massive decline in philosophical views, they'll limit this Eagles' offense and make moving the ball extremely difficult. I think this defense comes away with at least two turnovers, something we've seen in the last month and a half, and the offense will be rolling. 

ANDREW MCDONOUGH, IB CONTRIBUTOR

Prediction: Notre Dame 44, Boston College 3

The Fighting Irish win their sixth in a row on the road in Boston. The chatter has been that Notre Dame fans were aggressive in purchasing Boston College season ticket packages, so I expect a pro-Irish crowd in Alumni Stadium, especially considering the season that Boston College has had to this point. After going 7-6 in his first season, Bill O'Brien has seen the bottom fall out on his team this year. BC's only win is a victory in the season opener over a 1-7 FCS program (Fordham). The Eagles rank last in the ACC and 126th in the nation in scoring defense, giving up 34.4 PPG. A penchant for allowing explosive plays has been the Achilles heel for the defense, as they have given up 25 plays of at least 40 yards on the season. For comparison, despite being as bad as the Irish defense was during the first 3 weeks of the season, they have only given up 12 such plays. 

This will be the game that the Notre Dame offense gets QB CJ Carr back on track. Carr has cooled a bit after a spectacular start to the season, but Boston College - who ranks last in the ACC in rushing defense - is going to need to load the box to attempt to stop the talented backfield tandem of Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price. Against man coverage on the outside, Carr and the Irish receiving corps will have plenty of room to go to work and attack vertically. Notre Dame will be able to name their score on offense and only a fourth quarter field goal by the Eagles keeps this one from being a shutout. 

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