These two teams met in the driving rain of Hurricane Matthew last season, with Wolfpack beating Notre Dame 10-3 thanks to a blocked punt return score. Deshone Kizer completed just 9 of his 26 pass attempts in the rain and Notre Dame suffered what would be its fourth of seven one-score losses during its 4-8 campaign in 2016.
But there's far more than revenge on the table on Saturday. Notre Dame needs to keep winning to keep its playoff hopes alive, and NC State is coming off a bye with a chance to make its own candidacy valid by getting a win in South Bend. Last year's slop fest was one of the weirdest games of the year, but on Saturday we should expect to see a high-level football game between two of the 20 best teams in the country.
Viewing information
Date: Saturday, Oct. 28 | Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
Location: Notre Dame Stadium -- South Bend, Indiana
TV: NBC | Live stream: fuboTV (try for free!), NBCSSports.com
Storylines
NC State: This the most important two-week stretch of Dave Doeren's tenure at NC State. Saturday's game at Notre Dame will be followed by Clemson at home in a contest that will likely decide the winner in the ACC Atlantic Division. If the Wolfpack come out of the bye week with two wins, they emerge from this stretch as legitimate College Football Playoff contenders.
The key at Notre Dame will be continuing to take care of the ball, with Ryan Finley remaining interception-free and Nyheim Hines pacing a strong and versatile ground attack. Notre Dame's running game is too strong to expect NC State to shut it down completely, but they can limit its impact and the wear and tear on the defense by stringing together long, successful drives of their own. If Finley, Hines and Jaylen Samuels can string together long touchdown drives, they can walk out of Notre Dame Stadium with an upset win.
Notre Dame: Every week is the next round in Notre Dame's single-elimination tournament that ends in a playoff bid. As long as Notre Dame's only loss is a one-point defeat to Georgia, the playoff committee will take the Irish seriously as a national championship contender. NC State is the next up after dismantling USC, followed by Wake Forest, Miami, Navy and Stanford. Going undefeated in that stretch is a tall task, but as long as they're running the ball well and riding the strength of a stout defensive front, it's not unrealistic.
Prediction
I love this spot for NC State. Notre Dame is riding high off its dismantling of USC and the Wolfpack have had extra time to prepare for the toughest test of the season. The Irish pushed USC around in the trenches, making the Trojans look soft. I don't think NC State will respond in the same way. Not only are they healthier along their defensive front, but the Wolfpack are actually executing at a higher level on offense than the Trojans have been in recent weeks. Notre Dame is the better team, but I like NC State to cover this spread and threaten to win. Pick: NC State +7.5
