College Football Rankings: Projected Top 25, Week 10 – Big 12 gets wild
By Zach Bigalke
Scouting Report. 11/2 vs. Virginia Tech. player. lost 45-14 at No. 19 Michigan. Notre Dame Fighting Irish. 16. 819. Pick Analysis
Notre Dame struggled on their trip to Ann Arbor, as rain poured down on the Big House all night long. That left the Fighting Irish offense largely impotent, as Ian Book finished with just eight completions on 25 attempts as he threw for 73 yards and one touchdown. Phil Jurkovec came in to relieve Book and fared a bit better, going 3-of-4 for 60 yards and a passing score.
The running game did little to pick up the slack, as the Wolverines held the Irish backfield to only 47 yards on 31 carries. It resulted in an ugly 45-14 loss that will drop Notre Dame out of the top 10 of the AP Top 25 this week. The Fighting Irish defense struggled just as much as the offense, as the Michigan offensive line opened up holes at will for their running backs. The Wolverines finished with 303 rushing yards as a team, a big reason why they were able to prevail in the inclement weather while Notre Dame proved incapable of moving the ball.
Notre Dame cannot ruminate too long on what might have been against Michigan. Virginia Tech comes to South Bend to kick off a November slate that includes Duke, Navy, Boston College, and Stanford. All four could be potential traps for Brian Kelly’s team as they scramble to preserve a spot in a New Year’s Six bowl game.