Who To Watch

Stanford at Washington (Fri 9:00 PM ET ESPN)

You may want to see a good football team with rigorous academic standards this weekend. If so, then tune in Friday night to watch Stanford. This is shaping up to be a play-in game for the Pac-12 championship and, as you can see below, Stanford has been doing it against the sixth-toughest schedule in the country. Christian McCaffrey isn’t getting the hype of Louisville’s Lamar Jackson, and he disappeared for a good stretch against UCLA last week. But as the calendar turns to October, an undefeated Cardinal will keep McCaffrey in the national spotlight. You can cheer for Stanford here, but know that you’ll be seeing this team take on Notre Dame in a couple weeks. Hopefully, the Irish defense on October 15 bears little resemblance to the defense we’ve seen thus far.

Strength-of-Schedule Rankings

Last week, ND opponents went 3-6. On the year, opponents have a combined record of 27-16 (62.8%) with an average schedule strength of 75.

Other Upcoming Opponents

• Miami at Georgia Tech (Sat 12:00 PM ET ESPN2)
• NC State vs Wake Forest (Sat 3:30 PM ET ACC Network)
• Navy at Air Force (Sat 3:30 PM ET CBS Sports Network)
• Southern Cal vs Arizona State (Sat 8:30 PM ET Fox)

Past Opponents

• Texas at Oklahoma State (Sat 12:00 PM ET ABC)
• Duke vs Virginia (Sat 12:30 PM ET ACC Network)
• Michigan State at Indiana (Sat 8:00 PM ET Big Ten Network)
• Nevada at Hawaii (Sat 11:59 PM ET )

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Who To Watch

Stanford at UCLA (Sat 8:00 PM ET ABC)

After Notre Dame shuts out beats concludes its game against Duke, head on over to ABC to watch the Stanford run game. This should be a treemendous West Coast matchup, and we may get our first inkling if either UCLA or the Cardinal can contend in the Pac-12. Christian McCaffrey will be the main storyline here, but Josh Rosen’s development against a well-coached Stanford defense (is that allowed?) will show Irish fans what they can expect to see from the Notre Dame offense.

Strength-of-Schedule Rankings

Last week, ND opponents went 8-4. On the year, opponents have a combined record of 24-10 (70.6%) with an average schedule strength of 80.

Other Upcoming Opponents

• Southern Cal at Utah (Fri 9:00 PM ET Fox Sports 1)
• Virginia Tech vs East Carolina (Sat 12:30 PM ET ACC Network)
• Syracuse at Connecticut (Sat 1:00 PM ET CBS Sports Network)
• Army at Buffalo (Sat 7:00 PM ET ESPN3)

Past Opponents

• Michigan State vs Wisconsin (Sat 12:00 PM ET Big Ten Network)
• Nevada at Purdue (Sat 12:00 PM ET ESPN News)

The post Opponent Watch: Is a McCaffrey Heisman Campaign Bruin? appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

Stanford Cardinal running back Christian McCaffrey (5) runs the ball against Notre Dame Fighting Irish linebacker Joe Schmidt (38) during the second half at Stanford Stadium. Credit: Gary A. Vasquez/USA TODAY Sports

Pro Football Focus unveiled its 101 best college players Monday, offering an early glimpse at some of the players that will likely give the Irish fits come this fall.

Before we look at Irish opponents, let’s look at the two Notre Dame players that made the list: Offensive linemen Mike McGlinchey and Quenton Nelson.

Here’s what PFF’s Steve Palazzolo said about McGlinchey, who he ranked #36 overall.

McGlinchey has made great strides since arriving at Notre Dame as a high-upside freshman. Last year was his first as a starter and he responded with the nation’s highest grade for a right tackle at +23.2. He’s expected to move to the left side to replace top-ten pick Ronnie Stanley, bringing his strong run blocking that ranked ninth among all tackles in the country in 2015.

Nelson came in at #94, with Palazzolo saying:

Nelson wasn’t out of place in his first college action. He was excellent in the running game, as he was strong at the point of attack and impressive as a puller. Nelson finished with a positive grade in pass protection as well, and his debut bodes well for the future of Notre Dame’s offensive line.

Now here are the top 11 individuals who’ll play against the Irish, as determined by PFF:

1. Christian McCaffrey, RB, Stanford (#1 overall)
2. JuJu Smith-Shuster, WR, USC (#21 overall)
3. Malik McDowell, DT, Michigan State (#23 overall)
4. Zach Banner, OT, USC (#45 overall)
5. Adoree Jackson, CB/WR, USC (#47 overall)
6. Isaiah Ford, WR, Virginia Tech (#62 overall)
7. Jaylen Samuels, RB, N.C. State (#68 overall)
8. Wyatt Teller, G, Virginia Tech (#75 overall)
9. Brad Kaaya, QB, Miami (#87 overall)
10. Solomon Thomas, DE, Stanford (#98 overall)
11. Ed Davis, LB, Michigan State (#100 overall)

Here are some other Irish headlines:

• Golson Signs With CFL Team – The Hamilton Tiger-Cats have signed former Notre Dame quarterback Everett Golson to their practice squad. The Cats are 1-0 on the season, with former Oregon quarterback Jeremiah Masoli going 27-for-37 with 318 yards and 3 TDs against the Toronto Argonauts. Masoli is playing in place of Zach Collaros, who played for Brian Kelly at Cincinnati. Collaros torn his ACL last September and is still recovering. Here’s video of Golson talking about his first day with the team.
• Jersey Football Field Named After Theo Riddick – Immaculata High School, the Somerville, N.J. alma mater of former Irish RB Theo Riddick, named their playing field after the Detroit Lions’ backfield specialist. Riddick ran for 4,042 yards and scored 52 touchdowns in high school career. He graduated from the school in 2009.
• Pat Connaughton Chucks It DEEEP – The former Irish basketball standout, now playing for the NBA’s Portland Trailblazers, threw a football a long, long way with what seems to be minimal effort. He says it went 80 yards on the fly, but it’s super hard to tell. I see at least 60 easy.
• Breaking down the cost of bringing Navy-Notre Dame to Jax – The city of Jacksonville is expected to invest $350,000 into operating EverBank Field during the Midshipman’s Nov. 5 matchup with the Irish. The city is also installing 3,500 seats to replace those lost during recent renovations.

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