Stanford Football: 5 reasons the Cardinal will defeat Notre Dame

3. Notre Dame’s offense is still in the works

Last week, Notre Dame took the drastic measure of benching senior quarterback and last year’s starter Brandon Wimbush for Book, who performed well against Wake Forest last week.

The junior seemed to make positive strides for the Irish offense, tossing 325 yards for two touchdowns while Notre Dame posted 56 points.

Considering Wimbush was primed to correct the mistakes he made last year, the quarterback change may have come as a surprise. However, Book seemed to provide more of a jolt to the offense that Wimbush had previously been unable to do at the beginning of the season.

That being said, Book wasn’t necessarily tested against Wake Forest nearly to the same degree he will be challenged by Stanford. As with any big game, Book has the potential to either shine or flop.

One thing is for sure though. On short notice, Book has shown that he can step in and be the next man up. Perhaps that was foreshadowed in the Citrus Bowl last season when Book relieved Wimbush and helped lead the Irish to a win against LSU. In that game, Book led a crucial drive down the field to aid in the winning cause.

Book appears to be the answer for Notre Dame’s offense but comparative to Stanford’s already established offensive unit, the Cardinal command the edge.