Notre Dame Football: Game-by-game predicitions for 2018

There was a time where you could circle Northwestern on your calendar and mark it as a W in the summer. However, that’s no longer the case. Head coach Pat Fitzgerald has turned Northwestern into an ascending program and a place where good players want to go to play. Their quarterback Clayton Thorson is on the radar for NFL scouts and projected to be a first round pick in 2019.

That being said, this still is a must-win for Notre Dame. They cannot expect to be in consideration for the College Football Playoff if they lose to Northwestern, but they also don’t have to blow them out either to gain the style points.

This game is going to be a tough one for Notre Dame. Some might even say that the Wildcats have the better quarterback in this game, and the game is in Evanston.

Prediction

In order to win this game, Notre Dame will have to play keep away. They will have to play ball control and use their running game to their advantage. It will have to be a relatively low-scoring affair, because a shootout won’t work against this Northwestern squad. Muck it up and win.

Notre Dame 20
Northwestern 14