Notre Dame vs. Wake Forest: TV Schedule, Live Streaming, Game Time and More

For the first time in a month, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish will take their show on the road this Saturday, as they are set up to play the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Groves Stadium.

Because Wake Forest is a traditionally weak football school, this would seem to be an easy win for Notre Dame. However, the Demon Deacons have played some solid football this season, and they'll be going up against a very unpredictable Notre Dame team.

It's going to be an interesting game no matter what happens. Let's take a closer look at what we can expect to see.

Where: Groves Stadium

When: Saturday, Nov. 5 at 8:00 p.m. ET

Watch: ABC or ESPN2

Listen: Live streaming audio at WakeForestSports.com; Notre Dame ISP Sports Network (see list) for Notre Dame radio, Wake Forest Sports Network from IMG College for Wake Forest radio.

Betting Line: Notre Dame -14, according to Bodog. 

Key Storyline

The Demon Deacons already have one major upset at home under their belts this season, as they beat Florida State in early October. When kickoff rolls around on Saturday, they'll be looking to get another against the mighty Fighting Irish.

As for the Irish, their best hope at this point is to make it to a reputable bowl game. They need as many wins as they can get.

Who Might Not Play for Notre Dame

The USA Today has defensive end Ethan Johnson and long snapper Jordan Cowart listed as questionable for Saturday's game. Johnson is dealing with an ankle injury that has caused him to miss several games, and Cowart has a hand injury that has kept him out since Week 6. 

Who Might Not Play for Wake Forest

The USA Today has defensive lineman John Gallagher listed as questionable and nose tackle Ramon Booi listed as probable. Gallagher has a knee injury that has caused him to miss three games and Booi is also dealing with a knee injury. He is expected to play on Saturday.

BCS/Top-25 Poll Implications

Neither team is on the BCS radar at the moment, but both could find themselves in the top 25 if they can string a few wins together.

Between the two of them, Notre Dame has a better shot at making it into the BCS top 25. The voters will go for the Irish name, and the computers should recognize the toughness of their schedule.

But first, the Irish have to win a couple more games.

What They're Saying

Al Lesar of the South Bend Tribune penned a good piece about Notre Dame's red zone offense this season, which stepped up big-time on Saturday against Navy. Of Notre Dame's eight touchdowns, seven came on touchdown runs of 10 yards or less.

This is thanks to Jonas Gray and Cierre Woods, but Lesar cautions that they could be in for some tough sledding against Wake Forest:

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Gray and Wood have a challenge ahead Saturday night. Wake Forest knows its way around a run defense. The Demon Deacons rank 49th nationally against the run, giving up 134 yards a game. Notre Dame's ground attack is No. 46 in the country, generating 173 yards a contest.

Wake Forest has yielded 13 rushing touchdowns. Comparatively speaking, Notre Dame's defense is tied for second in the country with Cincinnati, Utah and TCU, having given up four TDs on the ground. Alabama leads the nation with two.

It's time for both Gray and Wood to take that step up.

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If Gray and Wood can do even half as well as they did against Navy, the Irish will likely be off and running, so to speak.

Meanwhile in Winston-Salem, the Demon Deacons will be the first to admit that they didn't play well at all in losing to North Carolina 49-24 on Sunday.

That said, head coach Jim Grobe looked on the bright side. Sort of.

Here's what Grobe had to say, per the Burlington Times News:

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I was amazed that we played as poorly as we had (and) we were still in the game. But it never changed. We kept turning the ball over and never really helped ourselves. … We could never get in rhythm offensively.

"

For the record, Wake Forest committed five turnovers against North Carolina. You might say the Demon Deacons were doing their best Notre Dame impression.

Notre Dame Player to Watch

The Irish have a number of players that are worth watching, but I personally never get tired of watching wide receiver Michael Floyd. He's one of the best receivers in the country, and he has performed very well throughout his career despite being paired with lesser quarterbacks. He has 63 receptions for 788 yards and five touchdowns this year, and will likely add to those totals against Wake Forest.

Wake Forest Player to Watch

Sophomore quarterback Tanner Price can be very fun to watch when he's on, but he is coming off a game in which he threw three interceptions. He needs to play better against a tough Irish defense for the Demon Deacons to have a shot at winning.

Key Matchup

As Lesar mentioned, it's going to be about Wake Forest's ability to stop Notre Dame's ground attack. If Gray and Wood are stalled, Notre Dame's passing attack will have to take flight, and that's not necessarily a good thing for the Irish. Tommy Rees has been turnover-prone this year.

On the Hot Seat

Until he proves that he is different from the other coaches who have tried and failed at Notre Dame, Brian Kelly is going to be on the hot seat. That's just how it is when it comes to Notre Dame football these days.

Prediction

Notre Dame is the better team with better players, but you just can't take anything for granted with the Irish. They're liable to struggle at any moment, and they'll be going up against a Wake Forest team that will be very motivated.

So what the heck, I'm calling an upset.

Wake Forest 24, Notre Dame 21