The College Football Playoff picture will get a bit clearer after this one. Notre Dame and Arizona State will try to strengthen their resumes Saturday afternoon, and the loser of this game is likely eliminated from contention.
How to watch Notre Dame vs. Arizona State: Game guide, TV schedule, streaming, odds
Which fringe Playoff contender will be left standing?
The Sun Devils’ only loss this season was a blowout, a 62-27 home defeat to a UCLA team that has similar explosive ability to Notre Dame. Arizona State has been able to beat some ranked teams, however, winning against USC, Stanford and Utah over its past four games. Todd Graham’s squad is passing the ball well and scoring this season, but the defense has been particularly good over the past three weeks, holding Stanford, Utah and Washington to a combined 36 points.
Notre Dame's only loss is considerably more impressive: a 31-27 defeat at Florida State in early October. The Irish have had some close calls against some not-great teams -- North Carolina, Navy and even Stanford probably qualify -- but senior quarterback Everett Golson has led this potent offense to 35.4 points per game, helped by a defense giving up just 21.6. Arizona State's option attack could give the Irish trouble.
How to watch, listen, and stream
Game time: 3:30 p.m. ET.
TV: ABC
Online streaming: ABC Live.
Our blogs on these schools
The numbers
Rankings and records: Arizona State is ranked No. 9 in the Playoff rankings, No. 11 in the AP Poll and No. 12 in the Coaches Poll. Notre Dame is ranked No. 10 in the Playoff rankings and No. 8 in both the AP and Coaches Polls. Both teams are 7-1 on the season. The Irish have won all three games played between the two schools.
Vegas: Arizona State opened as a 1-point favorite. The line has since moved to 2.5. The over/under is 60 points.
Weather forecast: High of 89 and sunny.
Two things at stake
A loss for either team would send it out of the Playoff picture.
A convincing win could bolt either one of these teams closer to the top four.
One big matchup
Everett Golson vs. Arizona State defense. Notre Dame's senior quarterback was a one-man show against Navy, averaging 10.2 yards per play with six total touchdowns in the victory. The closest Arizona State has come to facing that kind of talent at quarterback this season was UCLA's Brett Hundley, who averaged 15.4 yards per pass, 9.0 yards per run and scored five total touchdowns.
Further reading
For more on Notre Dame, head over to One Foot Down. For Arizona State coverage, check out House of Sparky.
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