And now we’ve come! To the ennnnnnnd of the road! Still I caaaaan’t let go! Wait, Boyz II Men aren’t anti-papists, are they? That would make this intro awkward.
How to watch Michigan vs. Notre Dame: Preview, TV schedule, odds, more
The Michigan-Notre Dame is going away for a while, so let’s watch these two teams battle it out one last time.
Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports
Anyway.
This is the last dance for Michigan and Notre Dame, arguably the two most successful college football programs ever, whose decades-long rivalry has been discontinued for the foreseeable future as Notre Dame eases into partial ACC membership. Last games of old rivalries aren’t always terribly memorable — quick, without looking it up, name the last year Nebraska and Oklahoma played and who won — but they’re still sad in their own right, especially when the rivalry has given us as many memorable moments as Michigan-Notre Dame has.
How to witness
TV: The game kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET in South Bend, televised on NBC. On the call will be Dan Hicks and Mike Mayock, with Kathryn Tappen on the sideline.
Radio: Your Michigan radio affiliates are listed here, and Notre Dame’s vast network of radio stations is here.
Online streaming: The game will be shown on NBC Sports Live Extra free of charge.
The numbers
Rankings and records: Both teams come into the game at 1-0 on the season. Notre Dame is ranked 16th in the AP Poll and 15th in the Coaches, while Michigan is receiving a handful of votes in both polls.
Vegas: Notre Dame holds the slight edge with a 3.5-point line. That has trickled downward from an open at -6. The over/under is at 56.5 points, so expect a few touchdowns on Saturday.
Weather forecast: It’s going to be a beautiful night in South Bend, with temperatures in the upper 60s at kickoff and staying in the 60s throughout the game.
Three names to know
Devin Gardner — As Dan Rubenstein notes, the key here for Michigan's senior QB is to deliver the ball quickly and consistently, as Notre Dame is not the same world-devouring leviathan on defense it's been in recent years. It's become something of a broken record to note that Gardner has the physical skills to play at an elite level and that he just needs to put it all together; winning at Notre Dame certainly constitutes that.
Devin Funchess — Gardner's primary target, and the latest in Michigan's long line of No. 1 receivers. Funchess obviously can't replicate the 7-for-95, three-TD performance he had against Appalachian State in the opener — three touchdowns a game, every game would make Funchess the greatest wide receiver ever, and despite what Gardner says, Funchess is not anywhere near that pantheon — but he's going to need a strong performance to take the heat off his QB.
Everett Golson — Notre Dame welcomes Golson back after an academic scandal took him away from the program in 2013. Golson looked more than capable in his return last week, accounting for five touchdowns and looking both athletic and poised as the Irish cooked Rice, 48-17. The Wolverine secondary is still rounding into form, so there may be some opportunity to put big points up here.
Two things at stake
It’s hard to imagine a more prideful non-conference rivalry in college football than this, and while Michigan holds the all-time record at 24-16-1, the opportunity to make the last mark on it is one neither team can pass up. And how has there not been a trophy involved? Could — should — the winning program retroactively create a trophy just so it can have something up in the case until the other team wants to try to take it back? I mean, we can’t rule it out.
Then there’s what’s actually at stake for the rest of the season. Both teams are relative dark horses for the College Football Playoff. Notre Dame has a bit of a head start in terms of polling, but that effect generally evaporates by November. Regardless, 10 wins is still a goal for both programs, and with the schedules facing each it would certainly get that kind of a team in the conversation for a major bowl. And unless the losing team absolutely craters in the coming months, this’ll be a quality win for the resume.
Further reading
For all things Michigan, read Maize N Brew, and check out our Big Ten coverage at Off Tackle Empire. Notre Dame enthusiasts should go to One Foot Down.
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