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The third-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish (5-0) take on the Stanford Cardinal (2-3) in the battle for the Legends Trophy. Notre Dame holds a 25-14 all-time lead against the Cardinal, but the Irish have won six of the last seven games. All six of the Notre Dame wins during that stretch have been by at least 21 points, and the Irish will look to earn another dominant win over their rival. Notre Dame is also looking for its 16th straight win overall, which dates back to last season.

Location: Notre Dame Stadium (Notre Dame, Ind.)
Date: Saturday – October 10
Time: 3:30 PM ET
Network: NBC
Line: Notre Dame -39.5; O/U: 54.5

The Irish Breakdown staff made our predictions for this contest.

BRYAN DRISKELL

Prediction: Notre Dame 63, Stanford 7

Notre Dame has steamrolled the Cardinal for most of the last decade, and that should continue in this game. Stanford has one of the worst defenses at the Power 4 level and ranks 133rd nationally in scoring defense and total defense. Notre Dame is coming off arguably its most impressive offensive performance of the season. It was certainly the unit's most balanced performance, with Notre Dame rushing for 241 yards and passing for 234 yards in the victory. Quarterback CJ Carr should dominate against a Stanford defense that ranks 137th in pass defense. As long as offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock continues building the game plan through Carr's throwing ability — which he has done each of the last two games — the offense should absolute dominate and the Irish will go into its matchup against BYU red hot on offense.

Stanford's offense has had some good moments this season, including a brilliant second half in its comeback win over Georgia Tech. Quarterback Davis Warren has already topped 300 yards twice, including 396 yards in the win over Georgia Tech. In Stanford's two wins Warren averaged 353 yards per game. In the three losses, Warren averaged 167 yards per game through the air. Considering Stanford is averaging just 88.8 yards per game on the ground, and has topped 90 yards just once all season (against Hawaii), the game plan on defense is simple: shut down the pass game and you dominate. Notre Dame's front should go off in this matchup, which will make life very difficult for Warren. Expect ends Boubacar Traore and Bryce Young to have big days, which fuels the Irish defense in this blowout win.

TREVOR TROWBRIDGE

Prediction: Notre Dame 59, Stanford 6

This is the final 'tune up game' for the Irish until the brunt of their schedule. Combine that with the performance they had against North Carolina a week ago, I think Marcus Freeman will have this team ready to roll in the battle for the Legend's Trophy. Quarterback CJ Carr has been on a tear the last couple of weeks and I think he continues to roll Saturday afternoon. Notre Dame has won six of the last seven games against the Cardinal and have scored 56, 49 and 49 respectively in their last three games. I think this is going to be a massive victory for the Irish at home. 

VINCE DEDARIO

Prediction: Notre Dame 49, Stanford 7

Notre Dame should have the advantage in overall talent, physicality, and depth. The Irish can take control by establishing the running game, keeping the offense balanced, and forcing Stanford to defend the entire field. Defensively, Notre Dame needs to limit explosive plays and avoid giving the Cardinal short fields through turnovers. Stanford may hang around early, but if the Irish control the line of scrimmage and finish drives in the red zone. Notre Dame will pull away in the second quarter.

ANDREW MCDONOUGH

Prediction: Notre Dame 56, Stanford 0

I believe this is the first time that I've ever picked Notre Dame to shut out an opponent, but as I said on the postgame show last week, the Notre Dame defense's performance against North Carolina was the worst thing that could have happened to the Cardinal. In what otherwise would be a trap game prior to the massive road trip to BYU, Notre Dame will come out focused and flying around. Stanford ranks 114th in the nation in total offense and is 135th in the country in rushing offense.

Without any ability to challenge Notre Dame on the ground, Irish pass rushers will be able to tee off and the Cardinal receiving corps will not be able to get separation against the Notre Dame secondary, with or without Leonard Moore. On the other side of the ball, CJ Carr will get his first 300-yard passing game of the season against the nation's 133rd ranked defense. And, in the spirit of "Leave No Doubt", Marcus Freeman may make sure the Irish win by more than Miami's 41-point margin in September.

BRYAN AULT

Prediction: Notre Dame 42, Stanford 14

Bill Belichick and his North Carolina Tar Heels were a worthy opponent to Notre Dame last week, a game that was much closer than I expected it to be. Looking to bounce back to their dominant form that we’ve seen in almost every game this season, I think the Irish – likely after a week of tough and disciplined practices – will top Stanford on Saturday. The Cardinals are coming off a 57-3 loss to Wake Forest, a far lesser team than Notre Dame, and I would expect defensive coordinator Chris Ash and head coach Marcus Freeman to have the Irish ready to clip their wings on Saturday.

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