Here’s what everyone seems to want to know about Notre Dame after its galling 16-14 loss to Northern Illinois last weekend: Are the Fighting Irish angry? Have they spent recent days eating lightning, clapping thunder and gnawing on rusty nails? Are they so ticked off, their next opponent is sure to pay a steep, painful price?
That’s one way to look at No. 18 Notre Dame (-10) at Purdue (2:30 p.m., CBS 2, 780-AM), a game the Irish (1-1) absolutely must win or else they’ll be out of consideration for the 12-team College Football Playoff by mid-September. Heading into the season, such a development would’ve been unthinkable.
It’s 11-1 or bust, people, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
“That doesn’t matter,” Irish coach Marcus Freeman said, telling us otherwise. “This week matters. Who cares about the rest of that stuff?”
The free world, give or take a few stragglers, but we won’t quibble.
But the “angry” narrative came up routinely as national analysts focused on this game, and it sure takes a lot for granted. For one thing, what if the Irish — with their dud of a passing game so far, and despite their strong defense — just aren’t all that good? And what if Purdue (1-0) is better than people realize (especially people like yours truly, who picked the Boilermakers to finish last in the 18-team Big Ten)?
The Boilers shut out Indiana State 49-0 in their opener and have to feel like they have a chance to make things hard on struggling Irish quarterback Riley Leonard, who ranks 130th in the country in passer rating. Bigger picture, it’s a chance for this program under coach Ryan Walters — like Freeman, only 38 years old — to begin to make a name for itself.
“I’d be lying to you if I didn’t say that this game was circled on my calendar,” Walters said.
The students in the seats at Ross-Ade Stadium might not realize what a great rivalry this used to be, the Irish and Boilers meeting every year from the 1940s until 2014. Ah, well, no sense lamenting one of the many traditions lost in the cracks of college football’s ruthless expansion. It’s not coming back in full at any foreseeable time.
Purdue over the Irish for the first time since 2007? No, but it should be close. Rusty Nail Gnawers, 24-20.
OTHER WEEK 3 PICKS
All games are Saturday.
Central Michigan (+18½) at Illinois (11 a.m., Peacock, 890-AM): The Chippewas (1-1) are coming off a loss at Florida International by a deceiving score of 52-16. They outgained FIU, had seven more first downs, possessed the football nearly nine minutes longer and might have had a shot at winning if not for their criminally neglectful ball security — six turnovers, five of them picks thrown by Iowa transfer Joe Labas. Meanwhile, guess who’s plus-seven in turnover margin through two games and about to be 3-0 for the first time since 2011? Illini, 34-20.
No. 4 Alabama (-16½) at Wisconsin (11 a.m., FOX 32): According to second-year Badgers coach Luke Fickell, he didn’t notice the Crimson Tide on the 2024 schedule until a day after he accepted the job. Funny, if true.
“If you want to be the best and you want to compete with the best,” he said this week, “then you’ve got to play the best.”
This might not be an elite Alabama team by the superpower’s own standards, but it has fewer questions than the Badgers, who still haven’t settled into second-year coordinator Phil Longo’s Air Raid offense. There’s no faking your way down the field against the Tide, who win 30-16.
No. 24 Boston College (+16½) at No. 6 Missouri (11:45 a.m., SECN). Mizzou has been on fire since the start of last season and continues to hit the deep ball better than almost anybody, but BC can really run it. Drain the clock, stay in the game. Tigers win, though, 31-17.
No. 9 Oregon (-16½) at Oregon State (2:30 p.m., FOX 32): The Ducks have been unimpressive through two wins, and the Beavers would seemingly have a big emotional edge after being left twisting in the wind by their “Civil War” rivals and the rest of the former Pac-12. Crank up the intensity a few notches? Do, indeed. Ducks, 31-21.
My favorite favorite: Indiana (-3) at UCLA (6:30 p.m., NBC 5): Shouldn’t the winner get to cut down some nets? Curt Cignetti’s Hoosiers — who’ve won their first two by a combined 108-10 — are legit and handle their business.
My favorite underdog: Eastern Illinois (+24½) at Northwestern (6:30 p.m., BTN, 720-AM): Over their last 33 games, how many times have the Wildcats won by a greater margin than this? Once. A QB change from Mike Wright to Jack Lausch could take a while to pay dividends, too. ’Cats improve to 2-1, at least.
Last week: 3-3 straight-up, 4-2 against the spread.
Season: 6-7, 6-7.