Notre Dame vs Stanford: Fighting Irish's Outside Presence Will Trigger Upset

Notre Dame enters their contest with Stanford on Saturday at 8-3, No. 22 in the BCS. Stanford, on the other hand, is 10-1, No. 6 in the BCS. Looking at that, you would certainly have to say that Stanford is the better team. Bodog agrees, as they list the Cardinal as seven-point favorites.

But let's dig a little deeper.

Notre Dame could and really should be about 10-1 right now. Don't get me wrong, they have nobody to blame but themselves. They made consistent mistakes in their losses (and even some wins) and deserve their record, no questions asked. 

But their season has gone a lot smoother since their first two losses. They did hiccup badly against USC (a team that Stanford beat), but in general, they are starting to show what they are, which is one of the more talented teams in the country.

Objectively, Notre Dame is a better team than Stanford. The Cardinal generally play a smarter brand of football, and they have Andrew Luck. Those aren't small differences. But in recent weeks, the Cardinal have shown some vulnerability. Luck is still a virtual lock to be the No. 1 pick, but even he's not played as well.

A big part of that is that Luck doesn't have great receivers, and the ones he has have been banged up.

Notre Dame has Michael Floyd, who is also a first-round draft pick. They also have playmakers like Cierre Wood, Tyler Eifert, Theo Riddick and T.J. Jones for Tommy Rees to rely on.

Defensively, they have Manti Te'o, also a first-rounder. He will go a long way in neutralizing Stanford's ground attack.

Now, I am not saying this will be a shutout. Luck will certainly test the Fighting Irish secondary, which is a largely unproven unit.

Saturday's game will be a shootout. The majority of the talent lies with Notre Dame. Their biggest obstacle is that they beat themselves.

It's hard to see that happening one more time. This will not be a game for fans of defensive football. The more points that are scored, the better it is for the road team.

Prediction: Notre Dame 38, Stanford 34