Notre Dame football at North Carolina Tar Heels: Preview and prediction

In order to keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive, the No. 2 Notre Dame football team will have to take care of business on the road.

In what is likely their last real test before a likely showdown with Clemson in the ACC title game, the Notre Dame football team will travel to North Carolina to take on the No. 25 Tar Heels. Both teams are coming off their bye, and have had more than enough time to prepare, and the Tar Heels have the advantage of being at home on Friday.

North Carolina comes into the game boasting an offense that has averaged over 30 points per game this season, including going over 50 in their last two contests. Sam Howell is a guy who loves to throw the ball deep, and he has elite weapons at running back, so this will be a nice test for the Irish defense.

Preview

Notre Dame quarterback Ian Book is playing at an extremely high level, and has put the Irish into the national title conversation in his likely final season on campus. He is getting the job done with his arm, and his legs, and against the Tar Heels, he will find more than enough room to work with due to their porous defense.

While North Carolina is explosive on offense, their defense is nothing to write home about, and they have been giving up points in bunches this season. This one actually has the potential to be a shootout, and the oddsmakers think it will be close, with Notre Dame only a three-point favorite.