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

Deondre Francois is looking to bounce back off a devastating season in 2017. During the opening game against Alabama he injured his patella tendon, and the damage required surgery, ending his season.

Right now, Francois is a far superior quarterback, given his accuracy. That said, Wimbush is the better athlete. So, if Wimbush can correct some of his issues, it may be a closer matchup.

There could be as many as three players in this game looking to boost their Heisman reputations, especially if both teams come in undefeated. Like the aforementioned Francois and Wimbush, Florida State running back Cam Akers is one of the nation’s frontrunners going into the season for the award. The winner — or at least the one who goes to New York — could come out of this game.

Prediction

Unlike the Northwestern game, Notre Dame doesn’t have to muck it up to win here. This game is going to be one many football fans love because it’ll be a high scoring affair. Even though both teams have good running games, they have backs who can break big runs and lead to quick scores.

This game is going to come down to whether or not Wimbush has made enough strides to outduel Francois in a shootout. Ultimately, though, part of it has to be the home crowd favoring Notre Dame, and that could be a deciding factor as well. Unfortunately for the Fighting Irish, the crowd will go home unhappy as Notre Dame will take their first loss of the season.

Florida State 38
Notre Dame 35