Back
In a marquee matchup with major College Football Playoff implications, top-ranked Miami will be on the road Saturday night against No. 11 Notre Dame on NBC and Peacock (7:30 p.m. ET).
The undefeated Hurricanes (8-0) have the nation’s No. 1 scoring offense, which will be tested by the No. 1-ranked defense of the Fighting Irish (7-1).
Notre Dame is in danger of missing the CFP for the second consecutive season despite being ranked fourth in the AP Top 25 Poll.
In this week’s initial CFP rankings, the Irish were controversially ranked 11th, and another loss to a top-five opponent could leave them out of contention for a national championship. Last year, Notre Dame lost to Miami 27-24 in the season opener, and the Irish got bumped by the Hurricanes from the CFP in the final rankings despite both teams having two losses.
Notre Dame has been on a “revenge tour” (as described by star cornerback Leonard Moore) since declining a bowl invitation last season, and this will be a must-win game in a storied rivalry between two teams that have combined for 16 national championships (11 for the Irish, five for the Hurricanes).
Notre Dame leads 18-9-1 in the series, including 9-1 at home (the only loss was in 1984).
The “Catholics vs. Convicts” game of 1988 might be the most famous chapter with No. 4 Notre Dame beating No. 1 Miami 31-30 at home (on the way to the national title). With the same AP rankings, this will mark the first top-five matchup in the series since then.
Highlights: 1988 'Catholics vs. Convicts' game
Get ready for the Week 10 clash between Miami and Notre Dame by watching the famous 1988 "Catholics vs. Convicts" game, an event that changed college football forever.
More information below on how to watch the game and previews for each team:
The Hurricanes are among three remaining FBS unbeatens (with No. 3 Utah and No. 8 UCLA) and have two prime Heisman Trophy candidates in quarterback Darian Mensah (the current favorite to win the award) and wide receiver Malachi Toney (currently projected as a finalist).
Mensah directs an offense that averages 47.6 points per game, throwing for 25 touchdowns with only one interception. The Duke transfer leads or is tied for the lead in these FBS categories: completion percentage (80.7%), passing efficiency (202.7) and passing TDs. He is seeking to become Miami’s third Heisman winner, joining quarterbacks Vinny Testaverde (1986) and Gino Torretta (1992).
Toney, a 19-year-old sophomore who grew up in Miami, has built on a sensational freshman season when he set program records for (an FBS-leading 109) and receiving yards (1,211). He is among only three players with more than 1,000 receiving yards, joining Jesse Legree of Oregon State and Jeremiah Smith of Ohio State. Toney and Smith are tied with 13 receiving touchdowns, behind Legree’s FBS-leading 14 TDs.
Mensah also has targets in wide receiver Cooper Barkate and tight end Elija Lofton. The Hurricanes have struggled on defense recently, giving up 35 points twice in the past three weeks to Florida State and North Carolina.
A defeat would mean much less for Miami, which would make the CFP with one loss and will close its schedule at home against unranked Duke (6-2), Virginia Tech (6-2) and Boston College (4-4).
The Fighting Irish have their own Heisman candidate in quarterback CJ Carr (tied with Trinidad Chambliss behind Toney on the list of favorites).
Carr has 21 touchdowns (18 passing, three rushing) with only two turnovers, but he has struggled in five games against ranked opponents with six touchdowns and five interceptions. In a 28-24 loss to No. 9 BYU, Carr completed a career-low 55.1% of his passes and went without a touchdown for only the second time in 21 starts (the first was in the 2025 season-opening loss to Miami).
The Irish have settled on sophomore Nolan James Jr. as their first-string running back. James leads Notre Dame with 519 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on the ground and is tied for second with three TD receptions. Aneyas Williams and Jonaz Walton have also been solid backfield options for the Irish.
Notre Dame has spread the catches around with key contributions from Jordan Faison, Micah Gilbert, Jaden Greathouse and Jerome Bettis Jr. as each of the past five games featured a different leading receiver.
The Irish have the fifth-stingiest scoring defense (13.4 points allowed per game) and rank first in 236.3 yards allowed per game. Defensive lineman Boubacar Traore leads the Irish in sacks (3.5) and forced fumbles (two). Injuries could pose a challenge with linebacker Drayk Bowen (team-leading 45 tackles) out against Miami after hurting his right ankle against Navy last week. Starting defensive linemen Jason Onye and Francis Brewu are nursing knee injures and are questionable.
Saturday’s game is six years to the day since Notre Dame’s last game against the No. 1 team — a 47-40 home win over Clemson in double overtime. If the Irish beat the Hurricanes, they will become the second team with at least 10 wins vs. top-ranked opponents (Alabama holds the record with 12).
Sign up here to watch all of our LIVE sports and events, including Big Ten and Notre Dame football.
Peacock offers one of the most comprehensive live sports streaming lineups available today, bringing together the NFL, NBA, MLB, WNBA, Premier League, NCAA football, NCAA basketball, golf, motorsports, and major global sporting events in a single service.
You can enjoy Peacock on a variety of devices. View the full list of supported devices here.
Back
Top
| Privacy Statement Terms of Service Contact |
Refresh
|
All the best breaking news stories from Apex Scores Lite. Optimised for feature phones and low end Android devices, Apex Scores Lite helps users with legacy devices and poor network connectivity access the latest football news and live scores. Particularly relevant for breaking football news in Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa.