Notre Dame Football: Game-by-Game Predictions for the Month of October

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Notre Dame football improved to 4-0 with its 31-15 win over Syracuse on Saturday, but the schedule stiffens, and the Irish made it clear they know they’ll need to improve against their upcoming opponents.

Following the victory at MetLife Stadium, Irish sophomore linebacker Jaylon Smith was asked in a straightforward manner: Will Notre Dame start losing if it puts forth similar performances to the one it did against the Orange?

"Yeah, as simple as that," Smith said. "You talk about Stanford and North Carolina and Florida State, teams like that coming up, you can't allow for those mental errors and that sloppiness. So we understand that."

The Irish committed five turnovers but still powered to a fairly convincing win. Players and coaches agreed afterward that isn't a sustainable model.

But the Irish are the No. 9 team in the country and have scored at least 30 points in each game. They have a defense that has met (and possibly exceeded) expectations quicker than expected.

So how will Notre Dame fare against its three October opponents?

Stanford

TONY AVELAR/Associated Press

Notre Dame faces its first true test of the season when it squares off with No. 14 Stanford on Saturday at Notre Dame Stadium.

The Irish have taken care of business through their first four games—quite convincingly in the first two, not as forcefully in the second two. They'll need to be on their game against Stanford, which has already battled with USC and Washington.

Yet in both of those games, the Cardinal were not overly impressive. Stanford suffered its lone loss, 13-10, at the hands of the Trojans in Week 2. Despite gaining 413 yards of total offense, the Cardinal fumbled four times and lost two. Stanford was just 2-of-5 in the red zone.

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Against Washington on Saturday, the Cardinal doubled Washington's offensive output (364-179 yards) but, again, lost two fumbles, threw an interception and committed eight penalties for 85 yards.

Notre Dame's defense has proved capable of slowing solid ground attacks, and Irish defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder will present different looks trying to confuse Cardinal quarterback Kevin Hogan.

The great matchup will be on the other side, where Stanford's top-ranked defense (by both scoring defense and total defense, per CFBStats.com) will aim to slow Notre Dame's high-powered offense. Everett Golson should make his share of plays, but the Irish ground game will have to chip in and provide variety against a strong defense.

Still, Notre Dame's offense looks too potent, and its defense should hold up.

Prediction: Notre Dame wins

North Carolina

Bob Leverone/Associated Press

This matchup looked intriguing when North Carolina began the season ranked at No. 23 in the preseason AP poll, just six spots behind the Irish at that point.

But the two defenses have been polar opposites, tilting the balance well in the favor of Notre Dame. The Tar Heels surrendered 29 points in a season-opening win over Liberty (FCS) and 27 in a victory over San Diego State. Not terrible.

Bob Leverone/Associated Press

But the defense has been porous the last two weeks to say the least. North Carolina allowed 70 points to East Carolina two weekends ago and 50 points to Clemson on Saturday. That's a stunning 120 points in two games.

Any way you slice it, it's challenging to see Notre Dame's offense falling quiet. Even if the Tar Heels clean things up defensively, Golson and the Irish offense have been too explosive. They'll have a prime opportunity to pick apart a North Carolina defense that ranks 126th (of 128 FBS teams) in scoring defense, per CFBStats.com.

Prediction: Notre Dame wins

Florida State

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Make no mistake, this has been the marquee tilt on Notre Dame's 2014 schedule for a while now. The Seminoles have been sitting at No. 1 in the nation the entire season, and Florida State presents a challenging obstacle despite some recent close calls.

The Seminoles needed overtime to top Clemson at home two weeks ago and only outlasted North Carolina State, 56-41, on Saturday on the road.

Still, Seminoles quarterback Jameis Winston is the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, and there is talent all over the field.

It will be quite interesting, however, to see how Florida State's defense changes between now and Oct. 18, when the Irish and 'Noles kick off in Tallahassee, Florida.

Stout in the run to the national championship, Florida State has fallen sharply off that pace in 2014.

Expect this game to be closer than what some pundits would have predicted before the season, but it will still be very difficult for a young Notre Dame squad to saunter into Doak Campbell Stadium in a raucous environment and escape with a victory.

Prediction: Florida State wins

All quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

Mike Monaco is a lead Notre Dame writer for Bleacher Report. Follow @MikeMonaco_ on Twitter.