The Wolverines hold a lead in the all-time series and have a a advantage in games played in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the site of Saturday's tilt. In fact, the teams have not even met in the Big House since , three meetings ago. Both teams are in desperate need of a big victory, but only one will be able to after the dust settles on Saturday night. Who will that be exactly? Let's take a closer look at this matchup and make some expert picks against the spread.
Notre Dame: There were always going to be two spots on Notre Dame's schedule that would dictate where the team stood in the College Football Playoff picture: at Georgia on Sept. These two games not only represent the two toughest opponents on the schedule but data points that would be used to measure Notre Dame against the best teams in the country.
If Notre Dame splits the two premier road games with a win at Michigan, then it maintains a place at the table as a finalist of sorts for one of the four College Football Playoff spots. It needs to continue winning and probably needs some help to make the final four, but a one-loss profile with a loss at Georgia in Athens balanced by a win against Michigan in Ann Arbor is going to make a decent case when its time to start splitting hairs between one-loss teams for the final playoff spots.
Michigan: A recent report from FootballScoop indicated that Jim Harbaugh had "representatives" eying an "exit strategy" from Michigan that could include going back to the NFL.
That report prompted a letter from Harbaugh to the parents of Michigan's current players, calling the claims "total crap" and "an annual strategy driven by our enemies to cause disruption to our program. Michigan was ahead before the Irish had their initial first down. What was different about this year's Michigan-Notre Dame game other than the Wolverines coming out on top?
Try the performance of Michigan running back Mike Hart. After contributing little in the Wolverines' losses to Notre Dame in and , the 5-foot-9 junior carried the load for Michigan on Saturday, which helped open the field for a lethal Chad Henne-to-Mario Manningham combination. Here's how Hart stacks up statistically in his three career games against Notre Dame.
They stopped us in the running game. They beat our defense. They really just beat our complete team," Irish tailback Darius Walker said.
The win had to be a relief for Michigan coach Lloyd Carr. He's been under fire for failing to win big games the past two seasons -- twice in bowl games, and twice each to Notre Dame and Ohio State. Carr, now against No. For Notre Dame, the loss was another setback on its road to restore its storied program.
The Wolverines jumped on Notre Dame mistakes, including a pass that sailed through the hands of tight end John Carlson to Burgess, who returned it 31 yards for a touchdown. Then Manningham was left open for a yard touchdown catch and David Grimes fumbled a kickoff return that set up a 2-yard TD run by Mike Hart , who finished with yards on 31 carries. Henne then threw TD passes of 20 and 22 yards to Manningham to make it The 34 points were the most allowed in a half by Notre Dame since when the Irish gave up 42 points in the first half in a loss at Michigan State.
By Scout Staff. Dec 20, at pm ET 1 min read. How To Watch When: Monday at 8 p. Regional restrictions may apply. Our Latest Stories Ohio State vs. Army vs. Notre Dame vs. Western Michigan live stream Scout Staff 1 min read. Power Rankings: Auburn reaches the top spot Matt Norlander 9 min read.
0コメント