Notre Dame Football: 3 bold predictions vs. Louisville in Week 7

Notre Dame football is hosting a tough Louisville team on Saturday afternoon and a win would go a long way for the playoff resume.

Brian Kelly has himself another title contender. This time, though, the Irish could win two titles this season, starting with the ACC crown and followed by a national championship.

The road runs through Clemson, however.

There will be speed bumps along the way and Louisville can be categorized as just that. The Cardinals were expected to be serious ACC contenders this season but they have fallen on hard times and bad luck, leading to a 1-3 record through four games. Things don’t get much easier for Scott Satterfield in Week 7, traveling to Notre Dame.

Starts to the season don’t get much tougher than this, but Louisville must win to avoid that dreaded 1-4 start. Notre Dame must win to stay in the playoff hunt.

What can we expect from Notre Dame vs. Louisville on Saturday afternoon?

3. Ian Book struggles through the air

Ian Book isn’t off to the greatest start this season, completing about 62 percent of his passes for 608 yards and three touchdowns. It seems as if the coaching staff doesn’t trust his arm as much as it trusts the run game to carry the offense.

Tommy Rees seems to feel as if Book’s arm talent is limited which is why he’s only attempted an average of 25 passes per game and is averaging almost 203 yards and one touchdown per contest. Those numbers aren’t terrible, but for a senior quarterback in his third year of starting, you’d expect more production.

Though he hasn’t struggled through the air yet, he hasn’t put up numbers. He’ll struggle against Louisville on Saturday not because of anything the Cardinals are doing, but because he will throw a pick early on and his confidence will be out the window after that.

Expect the coaching staff’s confidence to follow as the Irish ground and pound all afternoon.