Notre Dame Football: Predicting the Results of the Irish's Remaining Games

Just when it looked like Notre Dame's 2011 season was going to be a wash, they defeated nationally ranked (15) Michigan State 31-13 in Week 3.

Notre Dame finally found their rhythm and looked impressive on both sides of the ball. 

Shockingly, the Fighting Irish held the Spartans to 29 rushing yards on 23 carries, and Michigan State simply could not put points on the board with their passing attack alone.  

Has Notre Dame actually turned it around, or was their first win of 2011 a fluke?

Will the Fighting Irish be able to rebound from a slow start and make a bowl game?

Let's take a look at how their remaining schedule looks.  

Week 4 @ Pittsburgh

The Panthers, the reigning champions of the Big East, lost a heartbreaker to Iowa in Week 3 when they were up by three possessions heading into the fourth quarter.

Quarterback Tino Sunseri has been average at best thus far, throwing one touchdown to two interceptions in 2011.  

However, running back Ray Graham has been a force to be reckoned with, scoring six touchdowns and gaining over 300 yards in just three games.

Defensively, the squad has been decent, but nothing outstanding.  

If Notre Dame plays like they did in Week 4, no reason they can't win this game.  

Notre Dame 31-Pittsburgh 28 

Week 5 @ Purdue

The Boilermakers are 2-1, playing three relatively unknown squads in Middle Tennessee, Rice, and Southeast Missouri State.

Notre Dame will be a significant step up in competition.

No one on this offense has particularly flashy stats, despite a 59-0 routing over the Redhawks.  

The Purdue defense is respectable, but their offense simply does not have the fire power to hang with Notre Dame.

Notre Dame 41-Purdue 21 

Week 6 vs. Air Force

This is supposed to be a "gimme" game for Notre Dame, although Air Force did not look terrible in a 35-19 loss to TCU. 

Long story short, though, the Falcons are simply not in the same league as Notre Dame. 

Notre Dame 45-Air Force 17

Week 7 vs USC

At a glance, one would assume a shootout in this game. However, USC is yet to score over 23 points this season.  

Junior quarterback Matt Barkley has shown excellent accuracy and the ability to make some tough throws, but he does not really have a reliable target outside of freshman wide receiver Robert Woods. 

The Trojans have looked pretty good defensively, though, an attribute that will allow them to hang with a lot of teams. 

USC wills their way to a win in a close game of smash mouth football. 

USC 17-Notre Dame 14

Week 8 vs Navy

The Midshipmen are always an underrated team with a great rushing attack. 

Through two games, Navy leads the nation in rushing, averaging a whopping 400.5 yards per game on the ground. 

Navy is so reliant on the the run that, amazingly, quarterback Kriss Proctor has only thrown 14 passes through two games.  

While they will put up some points and remain competitive, Navy's one-dimensional attack will not be enough to hold the Fighting Irish down. 

Notre Dame 24-Navy 21

Week 9 @ Wake Forest

The Demon Deacons have one of the top passing attacks in the league, as quarterback Tanner Price threw just shy of 300 yards in both the Syracuse and the North Carolina State game. 

This makes Wake Forest the polar opposite of Navy. 

How Wake Forest fairs against Florida State and Virginia State will be very telling in assessing where this team is at, but given that neither game has happened yet, it seems safe to say that Wake Forest vs. Notre Dame will be a shoot out.

Notre Dame falters and drops a close game that's filled with tons of action.

Wake Forest 35-Notre Dame 31 

Week 10 vs Maryland

Maryland has shown they can put up some points, defeating Miami 32-24, and losing a very close one to No. 18 West Virginia (37-31). 

Quarterback Danny O'Brien has thrown for 637 yards in two games, a pretty solid contribution to his team, but he needs to be more careful with the football.  

O'Brien has thrown four interceptions to just two touchdowns in 2011.

Between all their running backs and receivers, only receiver Kevin Dorsey has more than 100 yards of offense, so it is clear that O'Brien is a QB that likes to spread the ball around.

It also shows that Maryland is versatile with their play call.

Turnovers once again are the downfall for the Terrapins.  

Notre Dame 28-Maryland 21 

Week 11 vs Boston College

Let's keep this one short and sweet: The Eagles are 0-3 and have lost to Northwestern, UCF and Duke. Not exactly perennial powerhouses in college football.

While two of the three losses were by one possession, Boston College doesn't seem to have any standout players and have yet to find their identity as a football team this season.

Notre Dame 38-Boston College 10 

Week 12 @ Stanford

Apparently, this Andrew Luck guy is pretty good.  

Stanford is averaging an amazing 50.4 points per game, good enough for a number for ranking in the nation. 

Luck, who decided to forgo the 2011 NFL Draft so he could get his bachelor's degree, has six touchdowns to just one interception, with a 68.5 percent completion percentage.

Wide receiver Cody Fleener somehow has 116 yards and three touchdowns on just five catches, making him a very credible deep threat for the Cardinals.

It will take an elite squad to defeat Stanford, and Notre Dame is not that.

Stanford 45-Notre Dame 28