Notre Dame Football: 3 Bold Predictions vs. Stanford

PALO ALTO, CA - NOVEMBER 25: Head coach Brian Kelly of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish shakes hands with head coach David Shaw of the Stanford Cardinal after they game at Stanford Stadium on November 25, 2017 in Palo Alto, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
PALO ALTO, CA - NOVEMBER 25: Head coach Brian Kelly of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish shakes hands with head coach David Shaw of the Stanford Cardinal after they game at Stanford Stadium on November 25, 2017 in Palo Alto, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /
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SOUTH BEND, IN – SEPTEMBER 08: Te’von Coney #4 of Notre Dame football celebrates a sack with Khalid Kareem #53 against the Ball State Cardinals at Notre Dame Stadium on September 8, 2018 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /

The Notre Dame football game vs. Stanford could be the most important game of the season for both teams.

After some bumps in the road, Notre Dame football now looks like a legitimate top ten team. Just in time, as the Irish have potentially their most important game of the season this week.

With teams like USC and Virginia Tech failing to live up to their expectations, Stanford seems to be the hardest test left. Notre Dame is also the highest ranked team that Stanford has scheduled.

This game will have a huge impact on the road to the College Football Playoff.

After making the change at quarterback to Ian Book, Notre Dame’s offense busted onto the scene with 56 points against Wake Forest last weekend.

Stanford, on the other hand, escaped Oregon with an overtime win in a game that they had to battle back to even have a chance in. While it looked like the Ducks had things in control, Stanford now has some extra momentum after their comeback win.

The Cardinal have won the last three meetings between the two teams. Most recently, Stanford added an extra blow late last season to Notre Dame with a 38-20 victory over the Irish.

Even as we head into week five, there are still plenty of questions as we try to separate the real threats from the imposters. It’s been a madhouse in the middle of the AP top 25, as teams continue to rise and fall.

We’re still left to wonder not only how much we will see Brandon Wimbush, but when will we see him again. Head coach Brian Kelly is confident that Wimbush will still be needed.

There will be another weapon on Notre Dame’s offense, as Dexter Williams will finally be available to play.

We also have questions on Stanford’s side. How healthy is Bryce Love? So far, the All-American has missed a game and hasn’t produced anything close to the numbers he did the last season.

While there are some uncertainties, we know we are in for a great game. Here are three bold predictions for Notre Dame and Stanford.