The Notre Dame Fighting Irish silenced doubters and established themselves as College Football Playoff contenders with a 31-0 rout of the Michigan Wolverines last weekend.
The win marks the end of one of the oldest rivalries in college football, at least temporarily. The two teams first met on the gridiron in 1887, with the Wolverines being credited with introducing the game to Notre Dame.
Overall, the two schools have played head-to-head 42 times since that 1887 meeting, won by Michigan, 8-0. Following a number of hiatuses, including a span of 35 years between 1943 and 1978 during which the two schools did not compete against each other in any sports, the rivalry was rekindled, with the two teams meeting 26 times between 1985 and this year.
Despite suffering a beating last week, Michigan holds the upper hand in the rivalry on the strength of eight straight wins between 1887 and 1908, with an overall series record of 24 wins against 17 losses and one tie.
While it is certain that the Irish and Wolverines will not face each other again over the next five seasons, the possibility remains of the rivalry being reignited in 2020.
Crucial Matchups Key to CFB Berth
Following last weekend’s victory, the Fighting Irish have jumped to No. 11 in the AP Top 25 rankings after being pegged at No. 17 in the pre-season. With their decisive win over Michigan, the Irish have overcome the first of four obstacles they face in their quest for a College Football Playoff berth, and improved to 28/1 in national championship betting odds at bettingsports.com.
Following this weekend’s game against the Purdue Boilermakers, in which Notre Dame are heavy 28-point favorites in NCAA Football betting, the Irish meet Syracuse in two weeks before their next true test, a visit from No. 15 Stanford on October 4.
Stanford are coming off a disappointing 13-10 home loss to USC last weekend, but have been trouble for Notre Dame, who are 1-4 SU and 2-3 ATS in their last five meetings with the Cardinal.
The Irish will face what will likely be their toughest challenge when they visit the top-ranked Florida State Seminoles on October 18. The defending national champions are currently riding a nine-game home winning streak SU, 7-2 ATS, and are 9/2 betting favorites to repeat as national champs.
It has been over a decade since the Seminoles and Irish faced each other, with each team posting road wins in their last two meetings, including a 34-24 Notre Dame victory in Tallahassee in 2002.
If Notre Dame can continue their early winning ways, their playoff destiny may not be decided until their visit to No. 9 USC in their annual battle for the Jeweled Shillelagh on Thanksgiving weekend.
Following their win over Stanford, the Trojans have established themselves as serious contenders for the Pac-12 conference title, and are a 16/1 bet to emerge as national champions.
Recent trends favor Notre Dame in their upcoming meeting with the Trojans. The Irish are 2-0 SU and ATS in their last two at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, and 3-1 SU and ATS in their last four overall meetings with the Trojans.
