FIW staff picks Notre Dame at UNC and top Week 5 games in CFB
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Notre Dame football will hit the road for the second consecutive week as it will take on the North Carolina Tar Heels on Saturday morning.
The Irish enter the game an undefeated 4-0, and the hosts are 2-1. It would have been a much bigger game had the Tar Heels not stumbled in the fourth quarter against Clemson. It still is an interesting game, as there are many across Week 5 in college football.
There are multiple top-25 conference matchups, and plenty of College Football Playoff implications in many games. Even a loss doesn’t eliminate teams, but it does make the margin for error much smaller.
The staff here at Fighting Irish Wire of Tim Healey, Sunny Verma, Kevin Smith and Michael Chen pick Notre Dame at North Carolina and the top games of Week 5 below.
No. 7 Alabama Crimson Tide (4-0) at No. 16 Mississippi State Bulldogs (4-0)
Game data: Sat., Oct. 3 at 11 a.m. CDT on ABC
Healey – There will be upset potential here, but my gut tells me that Alabama holds on. My gut has been wrong a lot so far this season, though.
Verma – Freshman emerging star quarterback for Alabama, while Mississippi State has the bonafide star. I like the Bulldogs as I have more faith in Kamario Taylor performing in a big game over Keelon Russell.
Smith – Alabama cruised to an impressive win over South Carolina last weekend, but the Tide did it against a free-falling Gamecocks' team that can't figure out what type of team they want to be. The Bulldogs, on the other hand, are coming off a statement win over Mizzou, so I can see Mississippi State swoop in and knock off 'Bama at home this weekend.
Chen – I just can’t buy into Kalen DeBoer, he’s a good coach, but always seems to slip up. Mississippi State has been on fire this year, and I don’t think it ends well for Alabama.
No. 8 Florida Gators (4-0) at No. 25 Missouri Tigers (3-1)
Game data: Sat., Oct. 3 at 2:30 p.m. CDT on ABC
Healey – Florida should be able to handle business, even on the road. Missouri might be frisky but I see a Gators win here.
Verma – Florida is hot, having gone from unranked to a top-10 team. Missouri lost a tough one last week, but is at home. I’m not sure it’s enough, as the Gators get another impressive win.
Smith – Jon Sumrall has put the Gators through some battles this season, and somehow they've come out on top each time. A win over Ole Miss last weekend was massive, so I think that momentum will roll into Florida's matchup against Mizzou. I think the Tigers are still reeling from a loss to Mississippi State, which was essentially a must win for Mizzou. Florida has this one in the bag.
Chen – It’s hard to think that Florida has seen such a quick rise up the polls, but it very much seems like they’ve earned it. I don’t think Missouri should still be ranked, getting the SEC bump to create another top-25 matchup. Regardless, the Gators pull this one out.
No. 5 Ohio State Buckeyes (3-1) at No. 14 Iowa Hawkeyes (4-0)
Game data: Sat., Oct. 3 at 2:30 p.m. CDT on CBS
Healey – Iowa is riding high after taking down Michigan on a last-second throw, thus giving everyone but Wolverines fans some measure of justice after the second-chance Hail Mary against Western Michigan. But Michigan is flawed and Ohio State is still better than Iowa. The Buckeyes one loss came against the No. 1 team in the nation. I see OSU walking away with a win here.
Verma – Ohio State did look like the better team against Texas, but faltered late with some questionable decisions. We’ve seen the Buckeyes do that before, and come out for the better. Iowa is tough, and plays very well at home. I just don’t believe they have enough offense to pull this one out. Ohio State in a close one.
Smith – The Buckeyes will go into very hostile territory this weekend, mainly because the Hawkeyes beat Ohio State's bitter rival Michigan last weekend. The thought process with Iowa is probably "why not Ohio State too?" …that being said, I think the Buckeyes have enough to escape the Hawkeyes' turf with a win.
Chen – This will be an interesting game, considering it will be the toughest test that Ohio State has faced since Texas, Iowa with a thrilling victory over the Wolverines. The Buckeyes come in more rested, as I think the Hawkeyes being in a physical battle last week hurt them this one.
No. 4 Miami Hurricanes (4-0) at Clemson Tigers (3-1)
Game data: Sat., Oct. 3 at 6:30 p.m. CDT on ABC
Healey – Miami remains a playoff competitor and Clemson is a mess. Hurricanes take this one.
Verma – Hard to know who Clemson is, but the did beat North Carolina, playing a four-quarter game. Miami hasn’t been tested, so this will be interesting to see who they come out. I still like them to win, but it won’t be as easy as their other games.
Smith – The Hurricanes are poised to be one of the top seeds heading into the College Football Playoff, and QB Darian Mensah is on the fast track to a Heisman Trophy. I've got Miami in this one.
Chen – Miami got its swagger back last year, and its carried over into this season. They’re very good, especially on the lines, but so is Clemson. The Tigers haven’t been quite the same program in this era, and they’ll suffer another loss as they continue to try and find their way.
Washington Huskies (3-1) at No. 18 USC Trojans (4-1)
Game data: Sat., Oct. 3 at 6:30 p.m. CDT on NBC
Healey – USC is probably not quite as good as their record indicates, and the Huskies are a tough team to play, but I think USC will get the win here, though I think that it might be very close.
Verma – It’s hard to know if USC is for real, and Washington is always sneaky good. I think the Huskies go on the road and get a big conference victory.
Smith – I think this game will be a close one. The Huskies will put up a fight, but ultimately I believe the Trojans have it. USC almost losing to Rutgers a couple of weeks ago is concerning, but the team has enough to slip past Washington.
Chen – I like Washington here, just due to the fact that everyone is downplaying how good they are. They’re just a solid program, and I think USC is going to tailspin.
Tim Healey
My only concern about facing North Carolina is that Bill Belichick is at the helm. On the other hand, the Tar Heel program has been a bit of a dysfunctional mess in his time in Chapel Hill — and that's an understatement. Plus, Notre Dame, sensitive to the playoff loss last year and the flop against Northern Illinois in 2025, seems better at keeping focus when faced with potential trap games. I think the Tar Heels might make some noise early at home — Belichick is still a pretty good coach despite the fact he no longer has one of the greatest QBs of all time and is far off his game at NC. But in the end, Notre Dame should walk away victorious.
Notre Dame 34, North Carolina 10
Sunny Verma
Notre Dame is starting to find its groove and North Carolina could be trending the other way after its collapse last week. The run game is coming together for the Irish, that being the final piece to a top-level offense. The defense is already elite, as the Tar Heels should have a tough time putting up points. The Irish win a fairly easy one.
Notre Dame 38, North Carolina 6
Kevin Smith
It's kind of crazy to think that Notre Dame is facing an ACC team after plowing through a bunch of Big 10 opponents in September. I'm feeling good about the Irish in this game because while there are some questions surrounding the offense, their defense has been stellar from the beginning. Also, UNC's biggest win so far is against East Tennessee State, but it did beat a TCU squad that people thought would be a CFP contender this season. That being said, Notre Dame has plenty to work with in order to take down the Tar Heels.
Prediction: Notre Dame 42, UNC 20.
Michael Chen
I underestimated the Irish last week and I won’t do that again. This team is a legit CFP contender, not just a participant. North Carolina will pose some challenges, but this is a veteran Notre Dame team with leadership everywhere. They’ll weather the storm and come out on top, in impressive fashion.
Notre Dame 54, North Carolina 3
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This article originally appeared on Fighting Irish Wire: FIW staff picks Notre Dame at UNC and top Week 5 games in CFB
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