How to watch Notre Dame vs. Syracuse: Game guide, TV schedule, odds

Notre Dame’s run to a playoff appearance continues Saturday, when the Irish play Syracuse at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.

The Irish have opened the season with three easy victories, defeating Rice, 48-17; Michigan, 31-0, and Purdue, 30-14. Notre Dame’s defense has been among the most dominant in the nation, and Everett Golson, Greg Bryant and C.J. Prosise have given the team capable offensive weapons with explosive potential.

Syracuse opened the season with a 27-26 double overtime victory over FCS Villanova, but followed that up with a strong performance in a 40-3 road victory over Central Michigan. The Orange’s season crumbled a bit after that, losing 34-20 at home to Maryland, but there’s still a possibility for Syracuse to make a third straight bowl game. Too bad the chance for a 13th combined national championship with Notre Dame is probably over on their end, though maybe the Irish can help out.

Game time: 8 p.m. ET

TV: ABC. Chris Fowler is on play-by-play, with Kirk Herbstreit in the booth and Heather Cox on the sideline.

Radio: Here’s a list for Notre Dame. Here’s one for Syracuse.

Online streaming: abc.go.com/watch-live

Rankings and records: Notre Dame is ranked No. 8 in both the AP and Coaches Polls. Syracuse is not ranked in either poll. The Irish are 3-0 this season, and the Orange are 2-1. The all-time series between the two schools is tied, 3-3, but Syracuse won the last matchup back in 2008.

Vegas: Notre Dame opened as a 13-point favorite, but the line has since dropped to 9.5. The over/under is 51 points.

Weather forecast: 59 degrees and clear skies.

Notre Dame still has playoff aspirations, but will need to continue to improve before tough matchups with Stanford, North Carolina and Florida State in October.

Syracuse’s ACC slate starts out with a bang, with games against Louisville and Florida State. A loss here could put the Orange at risk of starting 2-4.

Everett Golson vs. Syracuse’s defense. Notre Dame’s quarterback has returned after a year away due to academic issues, and he’s looked pretty much like the superstar he was supposed to be. Golson has thrown for seven touchdowns, run for four more and has not thrown an interception through three games this season, averaging 8.1 yards per pass attempt.

The Orange’s passing defense had no trouble against Villanova and Central Michigan, holding each to fewer than 200 yards through the air, but things changed in their loss to Maryland. Faced with dual-threat senior quarterback C.J. Brown, the Orange allowed 10.8 yards per pass attempt and two touchdowns through the air. They’ll have to deal with another dual-threat senior quarterback Saturday.

For more on Notre Dame, head over to One Foot Down. For full coverage of Syracuse, check out Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician.