Phil D’Abbraccio
Notre Dame 42, Syracuse 17
Nationally irrelevant

National relevance doesn’t happen overnight. Syracuse’s process of taking on national powerhouses in hopes of one day developing into one is still in the very early stages. Syracuse’s run defense, one of its strengths to this point, might put a decent lid on Notre Dame quarterback Everett Golson, but the SU secondary doesn’t hold up its end. Having options at wide receiver is nice for Syracuse, but Notre Dame’s wall of a run defense will make Terrel Hunt’s day in the air a difficult one. As the heart of the Orange’s schedule rears its ugly head, a potentially fatal losing streak is underway.

Jesse Dougherty
Notre Dame 48, Syracuse 13
Up all night to get lucky

Not this time. It’s all set up for Syracuse to pull off a colossal upset — the NFL stadium, primetime television slot and the perennially top-ranked opponent. But the Orange didn’t look good enough against Maryland last weekend to make that upset a reality.  Hunt will see more pressure than he has all season and Syracuse’s linebackers, which have been the foundation of its above-average defense, will have their hands full with Golson running north, south, east and west. The SU defense has not been good in extended plays this season, and that’s exactly what Golson does. And in doing so, the quarterback and his offense will gradually increase their lead throughout the night.

Jacob Klinger
Notre Dame 35, Syracuse 16
Irish eyes are smiling

This isn’t about Notre Dame being more prepared for the MetLife stage. It’s about a more talented team, the Fighting Irish, playing a rightful underdog. Notre Dame has so many advantages over the Orange, Scott Shafer said, that he’s guarding the identity of his starting kicker. If kicking decides this game, though, it’ll mean SU has punched well above its weight. More likely, Syracuse will stay within a couple scores all game long, only to run out of ideas and time.