Notre Dame Football: 3 bold predictions vs. Northwestern
By Jacob Wilson
2. This game sees eight lead changes
Inexplicably, Northwestern’s best performances have come against their toughest opponents. Some consider it playing up to the competition while others dismiss it as an anomaly. Call it what you want, what we do know is that Northwestern has taken down both Michigan State and Wisconsin while losing by only three to Michigan.
On the other hand, the Wildcats have fallen at home to both Duke and Akron. This disparity in play is appalling, especially considering the consistency we’ve seen out of Fitzgerald’s Northwestern teams in the past. Nevertheless, the Irish certainly qualify as tough competition, so it’ll be interesting to see how the Wildcats come out of the gate Saturday.
Regardless of how Northwestern plays, it’s not like the Irish are just going to roll over and die. Should the Wildcats come out hot, look for the Irish to match their intensity against a defense that has been statistically average throughout the season.
While these two programs are in relatively different positions than they were in 2014, a 43-40 finished is certainly feasible should Northwestern continue their impressive play against top 25 competition. Given each team’s propensity for offensive explosions, there’s a chance this game goes back and forth from the get-go.