Army is one of only three undefeated FBS teams (joining Oregon and Indiana), but the Black Knights have played a less-than-demanding schedule. To date, Army has beaten one FBS team with a current winning record, East Carolina, which is 6-4.
Now the Black Knights will face their biggest test of the season when they meet Notre Dame at Yankee Stadium.
Army hopes to fare better than fellow service academy Navy did against Notre Dame. Navy took a 6-0 record into its game with the Fighting Irish before losing 51-14 on Oct. 26.
Both Army and Notre Dame are very much in the running to earn a College Football Playoff berth.
Army would have to win the American Athletic Conference Championship and then hope it is the highest ranked Group of Five team – no easy task with the way Boise State is playing.
Regardless, Army at least has earned a berth in the AAC title game. The Black Knights will face Tulane in the Dec. 6 championship contest.
How To Watch Army-Notre Dame
Army plays Notre Dame at 7 p.m. ET Saturday on NBC and Peacock. The game will be played at Yankee Stadium in New York.
Records: Army (9-0); Notre Dame (9-1)
Army-Notre Dame Betting Odds
Notre Dame is a 14.5-point college football betting odds favorite. The Over/Under is 44.5 total points.
Army-Notre Dame Coaches
Army: Jeff Monken (79-55 at Army; 117-71 overall)
Notre Dame: Marcus Freeman (28-9)
Last meeting: Nov. 12, 2016; Notre Dame won 44-6 at the Alamodome in San Antonio.
Notre Dame outgained Army 476-242 in total yards while improving to 39-8-4 in the series. Notre Dame quarterback DeShone Kizer threw for 209 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 72 yards to lead the winning effort.
Why The Army-Notre Dame Game Is Important
As mentioned earlier, both teams are very much in the running for a College Football Playoff berth. Army would need to win the AAC Championship and then be the highest ranked G5 team. A win over a nationally-ranked Notre Dame team would greatly enhance Army’s resume. Army also has its final AAC game at home against UTSA on Nov. 30 and finishes the regular season with the Dec. 14 Army-Navy game in Landover, Maryland.
Meanwhile, Notre Dame should definitely be a playoff team if it wins its last two games against Army and at USC. However, if the Fighting Irish lose, that might eliminate them from postseason consideration. Notre Dame has already lost to one G5 team (Northern Illinois) and likely can’t afford to lose to another.
Army-Notre Dame Preview
For Army
The Black Knights are coming off a bye week. They last played on Nov. 9, winning at North Texas 14-3. Quarterback Bryson Daily returned after missing a game.
Daily rushed for 156 yards and two touchdowns on 36 carries. He leads all quarterbacks in rushing yards per game (132.8) and is fifth among any position in the FBS. Daily has rushed for 1,062 yards and 21 touchdowns. He has also completed 29 of 51 passes for 644 yards, seven touchdowns, and one interception.
Kanye Udoh has rushed for 856 yards and nine scores. Army is the FBS leader in rushing, averaging 334.9 yards per game.
Junior linebacker Andon Thomas has a team-high 59 tackles. Fellow linebacker Elo Modozie has a team-high 4.5 sacks.
Army is second in the nation in scoring defense, allowing 10.33 points per game. The Black Knights are 22nd in scoring offense (35.2 PPG allowed).
For Notre Dame
Since losing 16-14 at home against Northern Illinois, Notre Dame has won eight consecutive games. Last week, the Fighting Irish won 35-14 at home against Virginia. A 21-0 second quarter gave the Fighting Irish a 28-0 halftime lead. Jeremiyah Love rushed for 137 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries.
Love has scored at least one rushing touchdown in 10 straight games, one shy of tying the school record of 11 set by Wayne Bullock from 1973-1975. Riley Leonard completed 22 of 33 passes for 214 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. Mitchell Evans had four receptions for 34 yards and one touchdown.
Leonard has completed 64.7% of his passes for 1,789 yards, 12 touchdowns, and four interceptions. He has rushed for 641 yards and 13 touchdowns. Love is the team’s leading rusher with 720 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Beaux Collins has a team-high 30 receptions for 390 yards and two scores.
Linebacker Jack Kiser has a team-high 52 tackles. Last week, Kiser set a Notre Dame record by playing in his 63rd career game. Xavier Watts leads the Fighting Irish with four interceptions.
Notre Dame is third nationally in scoring defense, allowing 11.4 points per game. The Fighting Irish are 11th in scoring offense (38 PPG).
Army-Notre Dame Prediction
I like Notre Dame laying the points. During its current eight-game winning streak, Notre Dame’s average margin of victory has been 32.2 points. The only win during this time that wasn’t by at least two touchdowns was a 31-24 victory over Louisville. The Fighting Irish have shown they can defend the triple option offense when they played Navy. In addition, Notre Dame is allowing 126.2 rushing yards per game. If the Fighting Irish get anywhere close to that total, then this shouldn’t be a competitive matchup.
Army is allowing just 82.6 rushing yards per game, which is third nationally, while Notre Dame averages 216.7 rushing yards per contest. Again, if Notre Dame gets its average, then the Fighting Irish should win easily.
