John Bailey
Record: 3-1
Total Points Away From Correct Scores: 108
After Scott Satterfield toiled in mediocrity with continuous .500 seasons a la Jason Garrett, head coach Jeff Brohm came in and immediately altered the Louisville program’s direction. The Brohm family is Louisville royalty, with Brohm and his brothers playing football for the Cardinals and his father serving as a coach and mentor in the Louisville football community for decades. This passion for the Derby City on its own means nothing, but his brilliant football mind gives Brohm the skills needed to help his alma mater reach the sport’s pinnacle.
Brohm aggressively attacked the transfer portal behind the university’s NIL collective and financial support of a newly energized fanbase, producing a top-two portal class in both 2023 and 2024. Former Oregon and Texas Tech quarterback Tyler Shough has led the Cardinals to an undefeated start while completing nearly 70 percent of his passes, averaging over 11 yards per attempt and tossing eight touchdowns with zero interceptions. His quarterback rating of 197.11 ranks third among players with more than 60 attempts.
Shough could not have drawn up a better start, but Purdue quarterback Hudson Card also looked near-perfect before taking on the formidable Irish defense. Through three games, the Louisville offensive line has allowed just two sacks. Notre Dame will need to double this total on Sunday in order to win. Shough crumbles under pressure. A consistent pass rush speeds up his internal clock and makes him force throws that result in turnovers, having thrown 17 interceptions over 22 games the last four years.
Sophomore vyper Boubacar Traore will build off his breakout performance against Miami (Ohio) and have another big game against the Cardinals. But Traore can’t do it alone and will need graduate defensive lineman Rylie Mills to generate consistent pressure, something he has struggled to do for four quarters this season. If Brohm chooses to lean on the ground game with running backs Don Chaney and Isaac Brown, senior Jason Onye and graduate student Howard Cross III will step into more important roles as the team’s best run stoppers. The Irish defense will carry Notre Dame to victory as it has all season, with senior quarterback Riley Leonard making big-time throws to put the game away in the fourth quarter and silence his critics.
Prediction: Louisville 17, Notre Dame 24
Madeline Ladd
Record: 3-1
Total Points Away From Correct Scores: 110
Here we are again. A loss to Louisville, and the season is effectively over. Dramatic? Hardly. The entire goal was to cruise through what seemed like a straightforward schedule and secure a spot in the newly expanded playoffs. Now the team is on the line in each game. Louisville is an undefeated squad eager to repeat last year’s dominant win over the Irish. With its playoff hopes on the line, Marcus Freeman’s team must rise to the occasion as it has in previous high-pressure moments — namely, USC last season and Clemson the year before. However, after a sluggish and mistake-filled start last week against Miami, Irish fans are rightfully anxious.
Louisville’s defense returned seven starters, including All-American defensive end Ashton Gillotte who tormented Sam Hartman last season. Their secondary, led by safety Devin Neal and cornerback Quincy Riley, will challenge a Notre Dame offense that’s struggled with consistency. An injury-riddled Irish offensive line will need to step up to protect Riley Leonard and establish a ground game against a defense holding opponents to just 2.5 yards per carry.
On the other side of the ball, Louisville’s run game faltered last week, but they remain a threat through the air with quarterback Tyler Shough and Alabama transfer Ja’Corey Brooks forming a dangerous duo. With Notre Dame’s secondary depth limited due to junior cornerback Jaden Mickey’s intent to redshirt, containing Louisville’s passing attack will be crucial.
The Irish need to bring the same intensity they showed against Texas A&M, while Leonard must build on his progress in the passing game after tossing his first touchdown last week. Getting more touches for sophomore running back Jeremiyah Love and junior running back Jadarian Price and maintaining the stout defensive effort is key. If the Irish can put together a full 60 minutes of solid football, they will prevail.
Prediction: Louisville 17, Notre Dame 31
Noah Cahill
Record: 3-1
Total Points Away From Correct Scores: 112
The feeling of deja vu sets in as the Irish prepare to face Lousiville with their playoff hopes on the line. This year, however, the context is far different. Notre Dame was supposed to be on cruise control after overcoming Texas A&M on the road in Week One. Instead, it must win a game against a formidable No. 15-ranked Cardinals team to keep its season alive.
Louisville has opened up the season 3-0 and comes off a solid 31-19 win against a frisky Georgia Tech team that the Irish will also face later this season. The other two games should be taken with a grain of salt, however. After facing FCS school Austin Peay and former FCS school James Madison in the first two weeks, the Cardinals rank 143rd in strength of schedule thus far. With that said, they have taken care of business, winning those two games by a combined 111-14. Their 502.3 yards per game rank top 15 in the country, doing most of the damage through the air. Through three games, seventh-year senior quarterback Tyler Shough has thrown for 850 yards and eight touchdowns without recording a single interception. Ja’Corey Brooks leads the ACC in yards per game with 99 and has hauled in two touchdowns.
The matchup of Notre Dame’s elite secondary with Brooks and the explosive Cardinals passing attack will be the story of the game. If the Irish backline holds up, I expect moving the ball will be a challenge for Louisville. From there, the offense will, similar to the Texas A&M game, need to do just enough in high-leverage moments. While it was far from pretty against Miami, Notre Dame flashed the first signs that the downfield passing attack might be unlocked, particularly through graduate transfer wideout Beaux Collins, who has emerged as the alpha in the Irish wide receiver room. Collins leads the team in receptions with 16, yards with 176 and is tied for the team lead with his one touchdown catch. If Denbrock can find a way to get him and the other wide receivers involved, it will set up the Irish to continue their dominance on the ground, feeding carries to Love and continuing to involve Leonard in the run game.
I see a tense and low-scoring affair, similar to the season opener at A&M, but I believe the Irish defense controls the game and Notre Dame pulls it out by the skin of their teeth.
Prediction: Louisville 21, Notre Dame 24
Matthew Crow
Record: 3-1
Total Points Away From Correct Scores: 115
Following two straight Notre Dame wins by a combined score of 94-10, it’s time to find out if the post-Northern Illinois resurgence from the Irish is the real deal, and Saturday provides the perfect opportunity to do just that in the form of a crucial top-20 matchup at home. I’m not expecting a high-scoring affair in this one. Louisville’s offense, led by star transfer quarterback Tyler Shough, has impressed during the Cardinals’ 3-0 start but might come back down to earth a bit against an elite Irish defense that has yet to give up multiple touchdowns in a single game this season. Meanwhile, Notre Dame seems mostly content to rely on a run-heavy gameplan, and the Irish certainly have the talent in their backfield and across their offensive line to succeed with that strategy.
The lead-up to this game feels eerily similar to last season, when an undefeated but largely untested Louisville took down a one-loss Notre Dame squad. For me, the outcome of this season’s rematch will likely come down to whether the Irish can cut out the sloppy miscues that have plagued them over the last few weeks in the form of turnovers, penalties and costly special-teams errors. It will take a 60-minute dogfight, but I expect Notre Dame to clean things up and come away with a narrow, hard-fought victory that puts it squarely back in the College Football Playoff conversation, led by a third consecutive 100-yard rushing outing from quarterback Riley Leonard.
Prediction: Louisville 20, Notre Dame 24
Annika Herko
Record: 3-1
Total Points Away From Correct Scores: 116
We all know what happened last year. A 33-20 loss to Louisville and a game that didn’t even look that close when you watched it. Without a doubt, this was a game that was always circled on Notre Dame’s schedule. With the Cardinals just one spot ahead of the Irish in the rankings, the stakes of this game are even higher.
Louisville has been off to a strong start so far this season but this will be the first real test for them as well, as their first three games were against Austin Peay, Jacksonville State and Georgia Tech. Through these games, the Cardinals are 18th in the nation in the passing game and 15th in scoring after scoring more than 45 points in every game. It should prove a good challenge for the Irish defense, which has yet to allow more than 16 points in a game so far this season.
Prediction: Louisville 17, Notre Dame 27
Tyler Reidy
Record: 2-2
Total Points Away From Correct Scores: 126
Notre Dame has to have this one. Plain and simple. Exiting the College Football Playoff conversation by September’s end would seal a massively disappointing season for the Irish. Losing those playoff hopes in two straight years to a Louisville program that, yes, has improved under Jeff Brohm but should never beat Notre Dame in back-to-back tries would only amplify the sting. Marcus Freeman’s teams always seem to show up for the big games, and this week’s is perhaps now a more impactful one than the season opener at Texas A&M.
Just like last year, Saturday will present a tight, low-scoring game at halftime. Both teams have plenty to offer on defense and won’t concede much early on. How does Notre Dame create separation? You can probably see this one coming, but activate the passing game. Despite holding Georgia Tech to 19 points last week, Louisville conceded a handful of shot plays through the air and over 400 total yards to the Yellow Jackets. Either Riley Leonard’s downfield connection with his wideouts, which showed signs of life last weekend, or a Mitchell Evans breakout game must come to fruition.
But that’s just half of the equation. My under-the-radar difference-maker for this game is Notre Dame’s front seven. Louisville, with its rotation of four to five different running backs and tight ends, will throw a hodgepodge of looks at the Irish. And with Tyler Shough, a seventh-year senior quarterback who has seen it all the college level, manning the system, the Cardinals could very well make a business trip out of their short venture north.
They won’t.
Playing in a truly energized Notre Dame Stadium for the first time this season, the Irish defensive line will make a couple of crucial plays late to decide the game. Notre Dame’s offense will benefit from a turnover or two in prime field position and do just enough. The Irish pull away late and avoid any difficult conversations entering October.
Prediction: Louisville 17, Notre Dame 28
