Noah Cahill
What appeared to be one of the marquee matchups of Notre Dame’s season has since become arguably the easiest game on the schedule. Florida State is a program in utter disarray. Entering the year ranked No. 10 in the country coming off nearly missing the College Football Playoff, head coach Mike Norvell and the Seminoles now sit at 1-8 heading into Notre Dame Stadium for the Week 11 matchup. There remain lingering doubts about this Irish team’s ability to handle success, questions that start to resurface amidst their dominant six-game winning streak and recent top-10 ranking in the first CFP poll, but I don’t think they overlook this game.
The offense has shown signs of improvement every single week of late, particularly in the passing attack as senior quarterback Riley Leonard becomes more comfortable in the Mike Denbrock offense. Sophomore running back Jeremiyah Love continues to shine in the backfield and will look to keep his streak alive, scoring a touchdown in every game so far this season. He should have ample opportunity to do so against a Seminole defense that ranks 114th in the nation against the rush, allowing 191.4 yards per game on the ground.
On the other side of the ball, I expect this Irish defense to have a field day. Averaging a miserable 14.4 points per game, the Florida State offense has very little to turn to as they prepare to face a group allowing fewer than two touchdowns per game. D.J. Uiagalelei started the season at the helm and passed for 1,065 yards in five games with four touchdowns and six interceptions. He was replaced by the combination of redshirt freshman Brock Glenn and true freshman Luke Kromenhoek, but both have also been underwhelming. Ja’Khi Douglas and Malik Benson will command most of the targets, the duo combining for 706 yards and seven touchdowns for the season. Lawrence Toafili leads the backfield and has carried it 78 times this season albeit for an inefficient 3.9 yards per carry. Expect the quarterback duo to get involved in the rushing attack as well.
Coming fresh off of a bye week and returning to an excited home crowd, I expect a walk in the park for a Notre Dame team that is building momentum. This game will never get close.
Florida State 7, Notre Dame 42
Matthew Crow
Part of me feels like this matchup features a lot of the classic ingredients of a “trap game” — a sentiment some Notre Dame fans might share in the aftermath of the Irish’s still-shocking September loss to Northern Illinois — but I’m going to try not to overthink it. Florida State has struggled greatly all season en route to a disappointing 1-8 record and is currently riding a five-game losing streak. Most of the Seminoles’ troubles have come on the offensive side of the ball, where they haven’t eclipsed 20 points since their season opener, have thrown more interceptions than touchdown passes and have averaged just 2.7 yards per carry on the year. That doesn’t bode well against a formidable Irish unit that has ceded 20 points just once this season and ranks fourth nationally in points allowed per game at just 12.1 after stifling a Navy offense that entered the game as one of the top units in the country.
Defensively, Florida State had no answer for North Carolina on the ground in a blowout 35-11 home loss last weekend, as the Tar Heels rumbled their way to nearly 300 rushing yards and four touchdowns. Notre Dame’s elite running back tandem of Jeremiyah Love and junior Jadarian Price should similarly have their way on Saturday, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see talented freshman backs Kedren Young and Aneyas Williams get in on the action as well. Combine that strong rushing attack with another standout effort from Riley Leonard — who has very quietly played like one of the nation’s top quarterbacks over the last few weeks, a significant development that not many would have seen coming early in the season — and I predict a big day for a steadily improving Irish offense that has scored at least 30 points in four consecutive games and should have a great opportunity to do the same against the reeling Seminoles. Notre Dame finally snapped its streak of slow starts against Navy by opening the game with a pair of quick touchdowns and will look to do the same on Saturday.
Notre Dame Stadium should be rocking for the Irish’s lone home night game of the season, and there won’t be much drama in this one as Notre Dame opens up a big first-half lead before rolling to a seventh straight victory to keep pace in the College Football Playoff race.
Florida State 10, Notre Dame 45
Annika Herko
Florida State put up 21 points in their first game of the season, a three-point loss to Georgia Tech when they were ranked No. 10 in the country. Through the rest of the season, they have been unable to score more than 16 points. Their defense has kept their opponents’ score low enough in most games that they could’ve had a comeback, but with such an unproductive offense, there’s only so much the defense can do.
It is likely that Florida State will switch between quarterbacks Brock Glenn and Luke Kromenhoek to see if either of them can get anything done. Glenn is still the starter. However, an old football saying comes to mind, especially this late in the season — "if you have two quarterbacks, you really don’t have any."
Florida State 10, Notre Dame 55
Madeline Ladd
It’s hard to remember a program that has plummeted to the depths of college football like the 2024 Florida State Seminoles. Once a powerhouse, the 1-8 Seminoles have hit rock bottom, ranking 134th in total offense and failing to score more than 20 points in eight straight games. The other side of the ball isn’t much better, ranking 96th in total defense and giving up an average of 392 yards per game. With a depleted roster after losing key players to the NFL and transfers that haven’t panned out, this FSU team looks disjointed and uninspired. This is evidenced by their five-game losing streak since their lone win over Cal in September. Head Coach Mike Norvell’s seat is hot as this will be his third losing season in five years. Put simply, FSU looks like a team that has quit.
However, as we Irish fans have well learned, this does not make the stakes of the game any lower. This is a must-win for Notre Dame. Leonard must continue his game-over-game improvement and avoid careless interceptions that may give FSU a spark. Keeping it simple by running the ball with Love and Price feels like a smart option. With FSU’s offensive struggles, the Irish defense should have no trouble containing redshirt freshman quarterback Brock Glenn, who has struggled with turnovers this season. The Seminoles will most likely be playing a lot of freshmen to gain experience, so they will be looking to make an impact. Notre Dame must come out strong at home in the first night game of the season.
One bright spot for the Seminoles, however, is special teams. Kicker Ryan Fitzgerald is a perfect 10 for 10 kicking field goals, including five from at least 52 yards. Punter Alex Mastromanno leads the nation in punting average (49.3 yards per punt). Barring a special teams miracle or any big Irish blunders, this matchup should be a stepping stone for Notre Dame to try to impress the committee and continue their march to the CFP.
Florida State 13, Notre Dame 49
Tyler Reidy
This one’s not going to be pretty. I don’t know how else to put it.
Florida State has trudged along as a dead team walking for weeks now, and the situation doesn’t get any better this week. The Seminoles have not scored more than 21 points all season and now oppose one of the nation’s strongest defenses with a second-string quarterback. Meanwhile, Notre Dame has torched opposing defenses during its active six-game win streak, scoring at least 28 points in every game. The Irish defense also hasn’t allowed more than 24 in a game this year, supporting the idea that the Seminoles won’t be sniffing 20 points on Saturday night.
Sometimes, you have to just follow the numbers. They don’t lie after all. Notre Dame’s going to score a lot of points, while Florida State will be lucky to reach the end zone. The only counterargument I’ll entertain is the “Notre Dame might overlook the Seminoles” claim, because there sure is nothing about the X’s and O’s that point the way of Florida State. I even have a hard time convincing myself that Notre Dame would struggle to handle business here, namely because the Irish are on the back end of a bye week. Marcus Freeman’s have played four post-bye games in the last three seasons: 2022 against BYU, 2023 against Pittsburgh and Wake Forest and 2024 against Stanford. Did the Irish underperform in any of those wins? I certainly don’t believe so.
Jeremiyah Love easily clears 100 yards on the ground. Notre Dame’s defensive line feasts. Irish by 31.
Florida State 10, Notre Dame 41
