After beating the #1 team in the country, the #5 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (8-1) welcome Boston College (4-5) to town. Boston College has one of the toughest remaining schedules in the country with #5 Notre Dame, Syracuse, and #7 Miami left, while the Irish wrap up the year with Boston College, SMU, and Syracuse. The Irish are in the payoffs unless they lose, but as a -29.5 point favorite, I don’t think anyone expects Notre Dame to drop this game.
Notre Dame is in a letdown spot, sure, but Marcus Freeman appears to have this Irish team locked in. CJ Carr is the Heisman favorite after a season-high 319 passing yards and a career-high in completions (29) and attempts (40). The Notre Dame defense has been missing key contributors and starters for weeks, yet came up clutch in the fourth quarter against Darian Mensah and Miami twice. All Notre Dame has to do is finish 3-0, and they’re seeded somewhere between spots 3-5. Entering the playoffs healthier, especially on defense, is the main goal because there aren’t many doubters of the Irish over the next three weeks.
On the other hand, there are plenty of doubters about Boston College. Bill O’Brien leads the Eagles into South Bend after losing 25-10 at home to them last season. This year has been up-and-down for BC. With Mason McKenzie at quarterback, there is potential, but the defense has been a pushover the past two weeks. Boston College allowed a season-high 47 points to Duke (47-2 loss), then another 31 to Florida State (31-24 loss). The 78 points given up in the past two weeks it the most in a two-game span by BC all season. Sounds like a pretty good opponent for Carr to beat up if he wants to pull away as the Heisman.
Let’s dive into the schools on both sides of the ball, look at a few key players, and see where the numbers take us.
Game Details and How to Watch Boston College vs Notre Dame
- Date: Saturday, November 14, 2026
- Time: 3:30 PM Eastern
- Site: Notre Dame Stadium
- City: South Bend, IN
- TV/Streaming: NBC | Peacock
Game Odds for Boston College vs Notre Dame
The latest odds as of Friday courtesy of DraftKings:
- Moneyline: Notre Dame Fighting Irish (-5000), Boston College (+1800)
- Spread: Notre Dame -29.5 (-110)
- Total: 51.5 points
Boston College
Head Coach: Bill O’Brien
2026 Record: 4-5 (2-4)
Offensive Points Per Game: 21.9 (T-108th)
Defensive Points Per Game: 27.0 (T-92nd)
2026 Strength of Schedule: 55th
2026 Remaining Strength of Schedule: 1st
The Boston College Eagles Offense:
After a season-low 213 yards and two points at Duke, Boston College looked night and day versus Florida State. The Eagles offense gained 320 yards, 19 first downs, converted 8 out of 14 third downs, and averaged 4.9 yards per carry. On the road this season, Boston College has scored 15, 16, 49, and 2 points at Cincinnati, SMU, Georgia Tech, and Duke. Boston College’s team total of 10.5 points in this game is their lowest expected total of the season.
Boston College Player to Watch on Offense: QB Mason McKenzie
Mason McKenzie has shown some flashes of serious potential this season, but it hasn’t been much lately. McKenzie posted 87 passing yards and 24 rushing yards in a 47-2 loss to Duke, but bounced back with 166 passing yards, 38 rushing yards, and two touchdowns versus Florida State (31-24 loss). McKenzie has games with 138 and 170 rushing yards this season and has also thrown for 200-plus yards four times, including 295 versus Pitt. Notre Dame will be another tough test, but a good opportunity for BC to try some trickery and attempt to play spoiler.
The Boston College Eagles Defense:
Boston College’s 78 points allowed in the last two games is the most in a two-game span all season. BC gave up a season-high 47 points to Duke and 382 total yards, then 31 points and 380 yards to Florida State. On paper, Notre Dame should move the ball and surpass 30 points, but last year, the Irish won 25-10 and totaled 458 yards of offense in only 24:55 of time of possession.
Boston College Player to Watch on Defense: LB Anthony Palano
Anthony Palano has seven games with at least seven tackles, m including four straight; Palano leads BC with 76 tackles and also has 1.5 sacks and two interceptions. Palano is a Washington State transfer who had 65 tackles and half-sack last year. If you haven’t heard of him before, you’ll hear his name plenty on Saturday.
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#5 Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Head Coach: Marcus Freeman
2026 Record: 8-1
Offensive Points Per Game: 39.3 (9th)
Defensive Points Per Game: 14.5 (9th)
2026 Strength of Schedule: 33rd
2026 Remaining Strength of Schedule: 63rd
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish Offense:
Notre Dame’s Jordan Faison and Micah Gilbert are huge reasons why CJ Carr climbed the Heisman ladder. Gilbert registered 98 yards on nine receptions and two touchdowns, while Jordan Faison had six receptions, 77 yards, and another score. Nolan James Jr. also added a score on the ground and 88 total yards, while Carr threw a season-high 319 yards. The Irish scored in every quarter and capitalized on their only opportunity with seven points off turnovers in this game.
Notre Dame Player to Watch on Offense: QB CJ Carr
CJ Carr is now the Heisman favorite after beating #1 Miami last week. The victory was the biggest of his career, and he had an incredible first half en route to 319 passing yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions. The 319 passing yards were a season-high and third-most in his career, and his 40 passing attempts and 29 completions were career-highs. Last year, Carr went 18-of-25 for 299 yards and two touchdowns against Boston College in a 25-10 win.
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish Defense:
Notre Dame’s defense was stout against Miami, especially in the first half holding Darian Mensah to 50 passing yards on 6-of-12. The Irish’s defense didn’t look as sharp once CB Leonard Moore was injured, but the defense ended up with two sacks, five TFL, seven pass deflections, and forced two turnovers. Moore is expected to play against Boston College.
Notre Dame Player to Watch on Defense: DL Boubacar Traore
Boubacar Traore had a massive game against Miami with six tackles and a half-sack. He leads the Irish with 4.0 sacks, and it was his first since Stanford on 10/10. His six tackles tied a season-high, and it’s the third time he’s registered six tackles in the last five games. With multiple starters out, Traore has taken on a bigger role and more double-teams, but it hasn’t stopped him from making an impact.
Boston College and Notre Dame, Betting Trends
Boston College trends
- Boston College is 5-4 ATS and 6-3 to the Under
- Boston College is 2-0 ATS and 1-1 to the Over
- Boston College is 2-2 ATS and 3-1 to the Under on the road
- Boston College is 4-3 ATS and 4-3 to the Under as an underdog
- Boston College is 2-2 ATS and 3-1 to the Under as an road underdog
- Boston College is 1-2 ATS and 3-0 to the Under in non-ACC games
Notre Dame trends
- Notre Dame is 4-5 ATS
- Notre Dame is 6-3 to the Over
- Notre Dame is 2-2 ATS and 2-2 to the Over at home
- Notre Dame is 4-5 ATS and 6-3 to the Over as a favorite
- Notre Dame is 10-7-1 ATS as a home favorite since 2024
Rotoworld Best Bets
Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports) likes Boston College Team Total Over 10.5:
Everyone is debating whether or not Notre Dame will cover the four-touchdown spread, but I think the angle here is simple. Notre Dame is in the college football playoff, and dominating Boston College, SMU, and Syracuse won’t matter. The goal is to get in and get out as healthy as possible, especially since they already have three guys out on defense and more banged up. This is a game where Notre Dame calls off the dogs and Boston College likely gets some garbage-time points. What we will need is an early score, preferably an explosive one, but I like the chances of Boston College going over 10.5 points in a meaningless game with no hype or intensity.
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