The 9th-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish (8-2) take on the Syracuse Orange (3-7) this weekend on Senior Day inside of Notre Dame Stadium. The Irish and head coach Marcus Freeman are looking to add a ninth game to their eight game win-streak. The Orange and head coach Fran Brown are looking to snap their six-game losing streak on the season and their five-game losing streak to Notre Dame.
Where: Notre Dame, Ind. - Notre Dame Stadium
When: 3:30 PM EST
Television: NBC/Peacock - Dan Hicks (play-by-play); Jason Garrett (analyst); Zora Stephenson (sideline)
Radio: Notre Dame Radio Network: Tony Simeone (play-by-play); Ryan Harris (analyst); SiriusXM 129
Spread: Notre Dame -35.5; O/U 50.5 (FanDuel)
What To Know: Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Notre Dame has been one of the hottest teams in the country after week three. They started the season off 0-2 but have since rattled off eight straight wins, all of which have come by double digits. In their last outing, they beat the then-ranked 22nd Pitt Panthers on the road 37-15 in a game that wasn't competitive outside of the first couple of possessions. The offense, like we've seen so many times, hit big play after big play featuring Jeremiyah Love and Malachi Fields. Quarterback CJ Carr struggled at times but still finished with three total touchdowns and over 200 passing yards.
The defense was the side of the ball that shined in their last matchup. The first team defense held Pitt's offense out of the end zone. The Panthers had under 200 total yards of offense until the Irish elected to put in their second team defense. Their only touchdown in the first three and a half quarters was a pick six. This unit is far and away a different unit than the one we saw take on Miami, Texas A&M and Purdue. If this trend continues, the Notre Dame defense will be in an extremely strong spot heading into the post season.
What To Know: Syracuse Orange
Syracuse started the season off on the right note. After dropping their season opener to Tennessee, the Orange rattled off three straight victories including an upset win over Clemson on the road in week four. Unfortunately, Syracuse lost starting quarterback, and Notre Dame transfer, Steve Angeli for the season with an achilles injury in the matchup. Since Angeli's injury, the Orange have lost six straight games and have failed to reach the 20 point mark in all six matchups.
Both sides of the ball are struggling mightily this season. The offense ranks 106th in scoring, 113th in rushing yards, 127th in interceptions thrown and 125th in sacks allowed. The defense has struggled all season long. They're the 117th rank team in college football in points allowed, 125th in yards allowed, 123rd in passing yards allowed, 119th in red zone defense and 100th in total turnovers gained. They have their toughest task of the season playing a red-hot Notre Dame team inside of Notre Dame Stadium.
This is the 12th all-time meeting between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Syracuse Orange. The first meeting was played in 1914 in New York; the Irish won 20-0. They played again in 1961 and 1963 where the two programs split games. They didn't meet again until 2003 where the Orange won 38-12 at home. Notre Dame has won the last five games with their most recent matchup coming in 2022 where the Irish won 41-24.
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