College Football Preview – Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. Cincinnati Bearcats

Notre Dame is the most fortunate 4-0 team in the country. The Fighting Irish have not looked great in any of their wins, and they were in a position to lose all four of those games in the fourth quarter. That has led to the Irish being underdogs at home this week against the Cincinnati Bearcats. Cincinnati is also unbeaten coming into this game, and the Bearcats know they need to win big if they are going to crash the party and sneak into the College Football Playoff.

Cincinnati will head to Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Indiana to take on the Fighting Irish on Saturday, October 2, 2021, at 2:30 p.m. ET on NBC.

College Football Betting Odds

Cincinnati -1.5

Notre Dame +1.5

Total 50.5

The Fighting Irish squeaked by both Florida State and Toledo in their first two games. They were only up by four points over Purdue entering the fourth quarter of their game, and they trailed Wisconsin 13-10 in the final frame before scoring two defensive touchdowns and a special teams touchdown in the last 14 minutes to make the final score a laugher.

Luke Fickell is 3-0 after leading Cincinnati to wins over Miami (Ohio), Murray State, and Indiana. The Bearcats are coming off a bye week, and they are looking to get off to a better start after struggling early with the Hoosiers last week. They were down 14-0 with less than two minutes left in the first half before proceeding to score 38 points in the next 30 minutes.

When Notre Dame Has the Ball

Jack Coan has had a nice season under center for the Fighting Irish. The Wisconsin transfer is completing 60.6% of his passes for 7.8 YPA with nine touchdowns and two interceptions. Coan’s play has been strong considering the offensive line has not blocked well, as he has been sacked 19 times through four games.

That has also affected Kyren Williams. Williams is averaging 3.8 YPC despite being one of the top running backs in college football. Notre Dame has one of the best tight ends in college football too in Michael Mayer who has 24 receptions for 267 yards and three scores.

Cincinnati has one of the better defenses in the country. The Bearcats are allowing 19.0 PPG and 327.0 YPG. They have done an excellent job in the red zone too, as opposing offenses are scoring on less than half of their possessions inside Cincinnati’s 20-yard line.

When Cincinnati Has the Ball

The buzz about Desmond Ridder in the preseason has proven to be a bit too much. Ridder will not be a first-round pick, but he has proven to be a solid starter at the collegiate level. The senior is completing 65.1% of his passes for 9.0 YPA with seven touchdowns and two interceptions. He is the second-leading rusher on Cincinnati too.

Jerome Ford is averaging 6.0 YPC and has already found the end zone six times on the season. Cincinnati is likes to run the ball behind Ford and Ridder, and they have a solid back-up back too in Charles McClelland.

Former Cincinnati defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman is now in charge of Notre Dame’s defense. Freeman has done an alright job with this defense, but he has a different mindset than former DC Clark Lea. The familiarity against Cincinnati should help though.

Prediction

The extra week off will help Cincinnati in a big way. The Bearcats will take advantage of the preparation to have a solid gameplan that keeps them unbeaten and in the discussion for a spot in the CFP.

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