Boston College Eagles at Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Sat Nov 14 · 2:30 PM CT
By Pablo SanchezUpdated 5d ago·2 min read
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Notre Dame enters the year with one goal: leave no doubt they belong in the playoff. Boston College is just trying to prove last season was a blip, not a trend.
Bush’s Picks
BCND
BCND
OverUnder
Best BetNotre Dame
Notre Dame brings back one of the more experienced quarterbacks in the country and a roster Freeman has spent years building toward a title push, while BC is still auditioning quarterbacks after a 2-10 season. This is about as clean a talent gap as you'll find on the slate, and the Irish are the easy side to trust here.
Boston College
+History of bouncing back fast from bad seasons
+Revenue-share investment funds new O-line, RB transfers
+New QB competition could stabilize the offense
−Went 2-10 in 2025, O'Brien 9-16 overall as coach
−Untested QB situation with two newcomers
−Road trip against a legitimate playoff contender
Notre Dame
+Returns QB CJ Carr, 2,741 yards and 24 TDs last year
+Preseason title favorite after last year's CFP snub fuels urgency
+Schedule ranked among the nation's easiest
−Missed the playoff last year despite a loaded roster
−Freeman facing persistent NFL coaching rumors
−Championship-or-bust pressure can bite in trap spots
This one's a study in contrasts before a snap is even played. Notre Dame returns CJ Carr, who threw for 2,741 yards with 24 touchdowns against just 6 interceptions last season, giving the Irish their first returning starting QB since 2020. Boston College, meanwhile, is sorting out a new QB room entirely after Dylan Lonergan left for Rutgers, with Arkansas transfer Grayson Wilson and Mason McKenzie competing to replace him.
Bill O'Brien got a vote of confidence from BC despite a brutal 2-10 season in 2025, and the school backed it up by opening the checkbook — full revenue-share access and a heavier investment in the roster. The Eagles used it to reload the offensive line and bring in transfer backs Evan Dickens and Nolan Ray to try to fix a ground game that's been missing for years. Notre Dame's issue isn't investment, it's motivation: after getting left out of the College Football Playoff a year ago despite a loaded roster, Marcus Freeman has framed this season as championship-or-bust.
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Notre Dame's schedule is reportedly one of the easiest in the country this year, which cuts both ways — it should keep them in playoff position, but it also means fewer measuring-stick games before the games that matter. A trip against a BC team still finding its footing fits that mold. Whatever the number ends up being on this one, it's shaping up as a lopsided spot for the Irish.
Boston College has a history of bouncing back fast from bad years — 2012, 2015 and 2022 all preceded quick turnarounds under different coaches — so nobody in Chestnut Hill is waving the white flag on 2026. But history doesn't hand you a win over a team built to compete for a national title, and this trip to South Bend looks like one of the tougher outs on BC's slate regardless of how the QB battle shakes out.
Boston College Eagles
Nov 6?vs Florida State—
Oct 30?@ Duke—
Oct 16?vs Pittsburgh—
Oct 2?@ SMU—
Sep 25?vs Virginia Tech—
Sep 19?vs Maine—
Sep 11?vs Rutgers—
Sep 5?@ Cincinnati—
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Nov 7?vs Miami—
Oct 31?@ Navy—
Oct 16?@ BYU—
Oct 10?vs Stanford—
Oct 2?@ North Carolina—
Sep 25?@ Purdue—
Sep 19?vs Michigan State—
Sep 12?vs Rice—
Sep 6?vs Wisconsin—
Recent form.
Freeman himself has dealt with persistent NFL coaching buzz this offseason, which is its own subplot to watch — a program with championship aspirations doesn't need distractions at the top. For BC, the bigger question by Saturday, November 14 is whether the new-look offensive line and backfield have started to gel, because if they haven't, an already tough matchup gets a lot tougher.
