The #3 Notre Dame Fighting Irish are locked and loaded for a blowout in South Bend this Saturday, welcoming a Stanford Cardinals squad that just got flattened 57-3 by Wake Forest. That 54-point beatdown was Stanford’s widest margin of loss all season, and frankly, it looks like it’s about to get worse. Marcus Freeman’s Irish are 5-0 and are reportedly motivated to pitch a shutout, or at least come as close to it as humanly possible, after what they’ve seen from Stanford.
Notre Dame Is Hungrier Than Ever
Notre Dame is coming off a 37-26 win over North Carolina, which was actually their highest point total allowed all season and their narrowest margin of victory. So, yeah, they might have let UNC put up 285 yards and 26 points, but that’s not sitting well. Before that game, the Irish defense was legit, allowing fewer than nine points and 200 yards per game. They still clamped down on the run, holding the Tar Heels to 77 rushing yards and 3.3 yards per carry, plus they straight up won the turnover battle 2-0. Offensively, CJ Carr was absolutely cooking against UNC. He tied his career-high with four touchdown passes and even added a rushing score, giving him a career-high five total touchdowns. The dude completed 21-of-29 passes for 234 yards, hitting Jordan Faison for two of those scores (who finished with 8 catches for 132 yards). Jonaz Walton also popped off on the ground, leading the rushing attack with 23 carries for 120 yards. This Irish offense, averaging 41.2 points per game (T-15th nationally), and a defense only giving up 11.8 points (7th nationally), is absolutely dialed in. They racked up 475 total yards against UNC and are looking to make a statement here.
Stanford Is In Absolute Freefall
Let’s be real, Stanford is a mess. Their 57-3 loss to Wake Forest was brutal, but it’s not an isolated incident. They’ve already lost by 28 or more points against Miami, Duke, and Wake Forest this season. Against Wake Forest, they could only muster 197 total yards , 148 through the air and a pathetic 49 on the ground. Nothing was working. They waved the white flag early, going down 29-0 in the first half and letting Wake Forest score at least 14 points in all four quarters. Wake Forest piled up 519 total yards and converted 10 out of 13 third downs against them, and get this: Wake Forest’s defense is 113th in third down defense and allows 346.8 yards per game! That’s just wild. Oddsmakers aren’t even trying to hide it, projecting Stanford as whopping +37.5 to +38.5 point underdogs. This is going to be a long, long day for the Cardinals.
Kickoff for this absolute must-watch for Notre Dame fans (and anyone who loves a good old-fashioned shellacking) is set for Saturday, October 10, 2026, at 3:30 PM Eastern from Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, IN. You can catch all the action on Peacock or NBC. For Notre Dame, it’s about making a statement and continuing their perfect run. For Stanford, it’s about trying to avoid another historic collapse. Good luck with that.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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