These two teams both have top-10 rated defenses but they also have top-10 offenses. But both defenses have had their issue. Notre Dame’s pass defense has looked very good most of the season but they faced two option teams (Navy, Army), a team on its third-string quarterback (Georgia Tech) and another on a backup (Florida State). There were also three teams ranked outside the top 100 in EPA per pass (Purdue, Stanford, Virginia), and two MAC schools (Northern Illinois, Miami of Ohio). The two best passing attacks they faced were Louisville and USC. The Cardinals threw for 264 yards and three touchdowns and the Trojans racked up 360 yards and three scores with their second-string quarterback. Both those games landed Over the total, clearing the number by 40.5 points combined.
Both of these offenses have the ability to put points on the board in a hurry and I think we’re going to see consistent scoring all night long.