Notre Dame Football vs Alabama Crimson Tide: Picks and Predictions

The Notre Dame football team takes on Alabama in the 2021 Rose Bowl, and here are the picks and predictions for Friday’s action.

The Notre Dame football team has reached the College Football Playoff for the second time in just three years, and while that alone is an accomplishment worth celebrating, most Irish fans will not be satisfied until Notre Dame wins one of these major bowl games. Capturing that elusive big-game victory in the 2021 Rose Bowl, which will not be played in the actual Rose Bowl, seems unlikely, because I don’t know if you have heard, but this Alabama team is pretty darn good.

The Crimson Tide offense has two players who were recently named as finalists for the Heisman Trophy, and a third player who was a semifinalist that did not make the final cut. I think most Irish fans are resigned to the fact that Alabama will score 30 points at the very least in this one.

The question is: Can Ian Book and the Notre Dame offense score enough points to keep this game close?

In his recent press conferences, Brian Kelly has talked about wanting to play “ball control” and shorten the game. That strategy has worked for Notre Dame a few times this season when they have manufactured time-consuming drives to close out games. However, I do not know if that strategy will be effective when deployed for a full four quarters, especially in a game where you need to score points.

This is a monster game in terms of the Notre Dame football program, so how will it all shake out?