Notre Dame will look to remain one of the hottest teams in college football this weekend when they take on the struggling Syracuse Orange. The Irish (8-2) are looking for their 9th straight win and will try to give the Orange (3-7) their 7th straight loss. Irish Breakdown spent all week breaking down the game and now it is time for our game predictions.

Location: Notre Dame Stadium (Notre Dame, Ind.)
Date: Saturday - November 22
Time: 3:30 PM ET
Network: NBC/Peacock
Line: Notre Dame -35.5, O/U: 50.5

Here is what the IB staff thinks will happen in this game:

BRYAN DRISKELL, OWNER

Prediction: Notre Dame 59, Syracuse 7

This might seem like a bold prediction but I really believe this is a motivated and focused Notre Dame team, and this is also a struggling, injury riddled Syracuse team. I'm sure that the coaches and players will say they aren't listening to all the anti-Notre Dame noise, but it's impossible to ignore. Marcus Freeman has always been at his best when he's a little ticked off and this team plays very well when it feels disrespected. The national media is giving this Irish team plenty of reason to feel disrespected, and unfortunately for Syracuse I think they take it out on them this weekend.

Beyond that, the matchup is not good for Syracuse. Notre Dame's offense is one of the nation's best, and Syracuse ranks 117th in scoring defense (31.5 PPG), 125th in total defense (430.3 YPG), 124th in passing defense (267.0 YPG) and 94th in rushing defense (163.3 YPG). If Notre Dame's offense comes into this game focused and takes this game seriously they should dominate, which means a big day for the Irish backs and quarterback CJ Carr. As long as the line does its part this unit should roll from start to finish.

Syracuse would have put up a much better fight offensively if quarterback Steve Angeli was playing, but the offense has been a shell of its early form since his injury against Clemson. Syracuse has scored just 11.7 points per game during its current six-game losing streak, while Notre Dame has arguably the hottest defense in college football. Notre Dame has allowed just 12.3 points per game in its last seven wins. I think the unit remains hot and completely shuts down the Syracuse offense, which will give the Irish offense plenty of early opportunities to rack up points.

VINCE DEDARIO, FOOTBALL ANALYST

Prediction: Notre Dame 56, Syracuse 10

Notre Dame’s offense is poised to take over from the start. With CJ Carr at quarterback, and not much resistance from the Syracuse defense, the Irish will put up a bunch of points early and often. The run game led by Jeremiyah Love will set the tone but there will plenty of production left over for Jadarian Price. On the perimeter, reliable hands from Malachi Fields and Co. will give Carr plenty of options in the passing game. Given how their depth chart looks, Notre Dame should be able to build a large lead early and keep the pressure on, allowing us to see most of said depth chart.

Defensively, the Irish will shut down Syracuse’s offense and force mistakes. With Drayk Bowen leading the linebackers and the secondary anchored by Leonard Moore and Christian Gray, Notre Dame should be able to limit explosive plays and dominate the turnover battle. Syracuse likely won’t generate enough consistent drives to keep pace, and by halftime the Irish will be up big. 

TREVOR TROWBRIDGE, STAFF WRITER

Prediction: Notre Dame 52, Syracuse 3

One of my favorite games of the season every single year is Senior Day inside of Notre Dame Stadium. This is now the fourth time the Irish have squared off with the Orange on this bittersweet day. Historically, Notre Dame has dominated their opponents in their final home game of the regular season, especially since 2021 and I think that continues Saturday afternoon. 

I'll never predict a shutout because those are extremely hard to come by, I don't care who you play. But this game will be as close to one as I can predict. Notre Dame's defense is absolutely rolling and Syracuse is starting a freshman walk-on quarterback who came to campus as a lacrosse recruit. The Irish offense has been inconsistent at times, but one thing is certain, their ability to hit big plays will remain. 

Notre Dame rolls from the start and puts this one away early. They've scored an average of 44.8 points on Senior Day since 2021. I think this will be one of the few games the Irish score in all three phases (offense, defense and special teams). The defense scored their first touchdown of the season last week and are hungry for more. The weather in South Bend looks promising; CJ Carr lights it up and Love continues his Heisman campaign. Give me Notre Dame, big. 

ANDREW McDONOUGH, IB CONTRIBUTOR

Prediction: Notre Dame 55, Syracuse 6

I would have loved to see Steve Angeli return to Notre Dame Stadium and get a warm sendoff from Notre Dame fans (before an eventual Irish victory), but the football gods took that away from us. In Angeli's absence, Syracuse has gone from a dangerous team that upset Clemson on the road to one of the worst teams in the FBS. The Orange have averaged just 11.7 PPG without Angeli after putting up 38.3 with him. With freshman lacrosse player Joe Filardi getting the start at quarterback after Rickie Collins underwhelmed, Syracuse will have trouble moving the football. I'll give them a couple late field goals against Notre Dame's third string to avoid the shutout. 

On the other side of the ball, Syracuse is going to struggle to keep Notre Dame off the scoreboard. The Orange rank 117th in the nation in scoring defense, 125th in the nation in yards allowed, and are giving up an abysmal 6.19 yards per play. This should be a "get right" game for the Irish offense and expect Mike Denbrock to work on some things in the red zone and short yardage situations to see if there's a package of plays Notre Dame can lean on moving forward. Ultimately, Notre Dame should be able to name the score and keep some tread off the tires of their talented backfield heading into a hopeful playoff berth. 

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