Notre Dame Football: 3 reasons Irish will beat Michigan in Week 9

3. The Irish have had a great deal of time to prepare

It depends on how you look at it, but there are arguments to be made that both Notre Dame and Michigan have the advantage heading into this week’s matchup based upon what transpired in the week prior.

The Irish, who had the week off after a home win over USC, have had over a week to prepare for a Michigan team coming off of a down-to-the-wire loss to Penn State. While Notre Dame’s week off is definitively advantageous, we’ll have to see whether Michigan comes out passionate or defeated against the Irish before labeling their situation beneficial as well.

Shifting focus back to the Irish, head coach Brian Kelly will bring nearly two weeks of practice into Michigan Stadium, something the Irish hope will go a long way considering the significance of this matchup. If nothing else, offensive coordinator Chip Long will have had quite some time to work out an intricate game plan in preparation for his offense’s matchup with a stingy Michigan defense.

In what is likely to be more of a defensive bout than anything else, every extra day of preparation helps. The Irish will need to play well in all areas if they want to pull this one out, making last week’s break particularly timely.