Notre Dame
Notre Dame is 8-1, No. 5 in the CFP rankings, and No. 5 of 138 in the machine's ratings, 25.0 points better than an average FBS team. Last game: won 31-24 vs Miami in Week 10. The machine gives Notre Dame a 97% chance to make the playoff.
Week 11: vs Boston College, Saturday, Nov 14: the matchup, unit by unit
Why Notre Dame is No. 5
- Notre Dame's rating is 25.0: the machine's estimate that Notre Dame is 25.0 points better than an average FBS team on a neutral field. That is No. 5 of 138. For scale, 0 is an average FBS team: right now the closest to it is No. 68 Arizona State (0.2).
- It started the season at 25.9, ESPN's preseason Football Power Index from July. Its results since have moved it down 0.9.
- The biggest weekly moves: +3.1 after Week 4 (W 49-10 at Purdue) and −1.8 after Week 7 (L 24-28 at BYU).
- Its record is 8-1. The loss was to No. 22 BYU, by 4 points. The 8 wins came by 28.4 points on average; the best was over No. 6 Miami. The rating weighs how much a team won or lost by and against whom, not just the win-loss count.
- Its FBS opponents so far average No. 57 in the machine's ratings.
- Just above is No. 4 Texas (25.7); just below is No. 6 Miami (24.9).
The rating, week by week
Strengths and weak spots
Head coach
Marcus Freeman is in his 6th season at Notre Dame (since 2021). This season: 8-1. At Notre Dame overall: 51-13, counting this season.
Data provided by CollegeFootballData.com.
Team stats
Season totals and averages over 9 games, each with its national rank among 138 FBS teams (No. 1 = best). The game-by-game story is in the season, week by week.
Passing
| Completions-attempts | 194-287 |
|---|---|
| Passing yards | 2373 |
| Touchdowns-interceptions | 22-1 |
| Yards per attempt* | 8.2No. 31 of 138 |
| Explosive pass rate | 12.1%No. 35 of 138 |
| Sacks allowed (rate) | 0.3%No. 1 of 138 |
Rushing
| Carries-yards | 319-1581 |
|---|---|
| Yards per carry | 5.0No. 33 of 138 |
| 10-plus-yard runs (rate) | 10.1%No. 124 of 138 |
| Stuffed at or behind the line (rate) | 14.5%No. 26 of 138 |
Scoring
| Points per game | 39.3No. 9 of 138 |
|---|---|
| Yards per play | 6.52No. 25 of 138 |
| Third-down rate | 42.5%No. 46 of 138 |
| Red-zone TD rate | 69.2%No. 32 of 138 |
| Giveaways | 2No. 1 of 138 |
Defense
| Points allowed per game | 14.6No. 9 of 138 |
|---|---|
| Yards per play allowed | 4.53No. 12 of 138 |
| Yards per pass attempt allowed | 6.3No. 31 of 138 |
| Yards per carry allowed | 2.9No. 11 of 138 |
| Sack rate | 5.6%No. 75 of 138 |
| Takeaways | 18No. 9 of 138 |
| Third-down rate allowed | 38.9%No. 76 of 138 |
Totals are the official box score. * Yards per attempt and the rates come from the play-by-play, where passing yards count on completions only, so they can differ from the box score by a play or two.
Data provided by CollegeFootballData.com.
Player leaders
The top 3 in each category over the same games. Passing yards count every completion (official box score).
Passing
- C.J. Carr177-262, 2168 yds, 21 TD, 1 INT
- Noah Grubbs15-23, 176 yds, 1 TD, 0 INT
Rushing
- Nolan James Jr.106 carries, 571 yds, 9 TD
- Jonaz Walton79 carries, 514 yds, 4 TD
- Aneyas Williams73 carries, 333 yds, 4 TD
Receiving
- Jordan Faison44 catches, 574 yds, 5 TD
- Micah Gilbert33 catches, 528 yds, 5 TD
- Jaden Greathouse23 catches, 308 yds, 2 TD
Tackles
- Drayk Bowen45
- Luke Talich43
- Adon Shuler42
Sacks
- Boubacar Traore4
- Bryce Young3.5
- Francis Brewu2
Interceptions
- Luke Talich3
- Adon Shuler1
- Boubacar Traore1
Data provided by CollegeFootballData.com.
Who's playing
Based on who has actually played this season, from the box scores, not the team's published depth chart. Each bar is that player's share of the team's attempts, carries (quarterbacks left out), catches or tackles. The box score lists no positions, so there is no offensive line here.
Throwing
- C.J. CarrMost passes in the last game9 games262 attempts91%
- Noah Grubbs4 games23 attempts8%
Carrying
- Nolan James Jr.9 games106 carries37%
- Jonaz Walton8 games79 carries28%
- Aneyas Williams9 games73 carries26%
- Kedren Young4 games13 carries5%
Catching
- Jordan Faison9 games44 catches23%
- Micah Gilbert9 games33 catches17%
- Jaden Greathouse8 games23 catches12%
- Nolan James Jr.7 games14 catches7%
Tackling
- Drayk Bowen8 games45 tackles9%
- Luke Talich8 games43 tackles9%
- Adon Shuler9 games42 tackles8%
- Jaiden Ausberry8 games37 tackles7%
Data provided by CollegeFootballData.com.
The season, week by week
- Week 1 W 41–13 vs Wisconsin (neutral site). The run defense was the strength: Wisconsin got 2.2 yards a carry, 1.9 under what it usually gains. Won the turnover battle by 2.
- Week 2 W 52–0 vs Rice. The run defense was the strength: Rice got 1.9 yards a carry, 3.7 under what it usually gains. Won the turnover battle by 4.
- Week 3 W 27–10 vs Michigan State. The passing game was the strength: 9.8 yards an attempt, 2.9 more than Michigan State usually allows. Won the turnover battle by 2.
- Week 4 W 49–10 at Purdue. The pass defense was the strength: Purdue got 4.8 yards an attempt, 3.3 under what it usually gains. The defense had 5 sacks.
- Week 5 W 37–26 at North Carolina. The run game was the strength: 5.4 yards a carry, 1.4 more than North Carolina usually allows. Won the turnover battle by 2.
- Week 6 W 58–7 vs Stanford. The run game was the strength: 7.7 yards a carry, 2.5 more than Stanford usually allows. Won the turnover battle by 3.
- Week 7 L 24–28 at BYU. The pass defense was the strength: BYU got 6.5 yards an attempt, 1.7 under what it usually gains. The machine had Notre Dame by 11.6 (76%), so this was a loss it did not see coming.
- Week 9 W 35–13 vs Navy (neutral site). The run game was the strength: 7.0 yards a carry, 3.9 more than Navy usually allows. The most yards a carry it has allowed all season.
- Week 10 W 31–24 vs Miami. The pass defense was the strength: Miami got 7.1 yards an attempt, 2.6 under what it usually gains. Won the turnover battle by 2.