No. 6 Notre Dame and No. 9 Stanford are the only two top-10 teams in this week's College Football Playoff rankings that will meet on the field during the Thanksgiving weekend. Given that both squads still harbor legitimate Playoff aspirations, their meeting should be one of the week's best games.
Notre Dame vs. Stanford 2015 live stream: How to watch online
The Irish have one last hurdle to clear before the College Football Playoff. But Stanford’s hoping to get past Notre Dame, too.
Notre Dame surprisingly fell two spots in this week’s rankings, sliding behind No. 4 Iowa and No. 5 Michigan State, and the Irish’s lack of a conference affiliation -- and thus a conference title to play for and claim -- may be a significant detriment in the selection committee’s eyes.
Good thing Stanford’s still on the schedule. A win over the Cardinal would likely give Notre Dame no fewer than two wins over teams in the selection committee’s final top 25, depending on what transpires with No. 15 Navy and No. 25 Temple. And the Irish’s only loss to date is to No. 1 Clemson.
That’s a better situation than the one Stanford faces, given that the Cardinal have two losses to Notre Dame’s one. But David Shaw’s team is the highest-ranked two-loss team this week, and can hold onto its faint hopes of making the Playoff if it topples the Irish.
How to watch, stream and listen
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, FOX
Radio: Notre Dame, Stanford
Online streaming: FOX Sports Go
Spread: Notre Dame opened as a two-point favorite, but Stanford is now favored by four points.
Make friends: Get to SB Nation’s team blog chats for this game at One Foot Down (for Notre Dame fans) and Rule of Tree (for Cardinal fans).
Three big things to know
1. #wildcat offense, check the paw prints. Christian McCaffrey’s rise from relative unknown to Heisman contender has helped buoy Stanford in 2015. The nation’s leader in total scrimmage yards per game will look to dent the Golden Domers on Saturday, whether as a runner, receiver, or returner. McCaffrey has soaked up more and more touches in the past several weeks, too, as the passing game has faltered. After throwing for better than 11 yards per attempt in five of Stanford’s first seven games, Cardinal quarterback Kevin Hogan hasn’t done that since, and had a very quiet night against Cal, throwing for just 96 yards and a touchdown on a scant 12 attempts.
2. A “Legendary” rivalry? Notre Dame and Stanford play for the Legends Trophy, and you could be forgiven for not knowing that, or even considering this series a rivalry. It does date to 1925, but only became an annual rivalry in 1988, and has yet to be contested for 20 consecutive years, thanks to a two-year break in 1995 and 1996.
But you’re not alone in thinking this isn’t much of a rivalry. Stanford fans think of Notre Dame as the “other” rival, and Notre Dame fans don’t think much of Stanford at all.
3. A heated rivalry. Fortunately for the less-excited, this series right now is unquestionably at the high-water mark in the rivalry’s history. The last four games between the two teams have featured both teams being ranked, with one in the top-10, and the Cardinal and Irish have alternated wins.
This Saturday, for the first time, both teams will be top-10 outfits. And if the alternating continues, Stanford will win, springing the first victory by the lower-ranked team in the rivalry since 1992.
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