Notre Dame Football: 5 Reasons the Irish will beat Miami

A place in the College Football Playoff will be on the line when Notre Dame football squares off with Miami in Week 11. Here’s why the Irish will prevail.

More: Evaluating the Playoff case for Notre Dame football

No. 7 Miami (8-0) hosts No. 3 Notre Dame (8-1) in a prime time matchup in Week 11 that has massive College Football Playoff implications. The Irish, currently ranked inside the top four, will be essentially guaranteed a spot at the table if they finish the season without picking up a second loss. That additional defeat would likely bump them from the playoff and land them in a New Year’s Six bowl. That’s not a bad finish for a team that was 4-8 a season ago, but the expectations are higher in South Bend.

Miami enters undefeated but only ranked seventh in the latest set of College Football Playoff rankings. That’s because up until a week ago the Hurricanes hadn’t beaten anyone of consequence. Their victory over Virginia Tech in Week 10 was the best victory on their resume and the first time that Miami truly looked Playoff-caliber.

A loss on Saturday by the Canes will put them behind the eight ball in a playoff race that is shaping up to be the closest finish yet. As long as they stay undefeated the Canes will control their own destiny. A win over Notre Dame would be their signature victory of the season and the biggest victory this program has seen in a long time.

As nice as that would be for Miami it’s not meant to be. Notre Dame enters this game as the favorite for a reason; they are the better team. Here are five reasons the Irish will beat the Hurricanes in Week 11.