College Clash Preview and Forecast: Notre Dame versus Miami

College Clash Preview and Forecast: Notre Dame versus Miami - August 31, 2025

Notre Dame and Miami are set to square off in an exciting College Football matchup at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida on Sunday, August 31st, with the game kicking off at 7:30 pm ET. The highly-anticipated clash will be broadcast on ESPN.

Miami, thanks to some mainstream media hype, is being touted as a potential College Football Playoff contender. However, some analysts remain sceptical about the program's ability to perform against elite competition. Notre Dame, on the other hand, boasts a strong defensive unit, having finished second in the nation in EPA per play allowed (-0.21) last season.

Notre Dame's defensive coordinator, Marcus Freeman, led the team to the College Football Playoff National Championship Game last season, and the Fighting Irish have a lot of returning talent on their pass rush. In contrast, Miami head coach Mario Cristobal has been active in the transfer market after a disappointing end to last season.

Notre Dame's freshman quarterback, CJ Carr, has been making waves with his prototypical size, deadly accuracy, and talented receivers. The offensive coordinator, Shannon Dawson, even believes Carr could be the program's second consecutive No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft.

The spread for the game is Notre Dame -3 (-105) and Miami +3 (-115). Notre Dame has been impressive as favorites, going 10-0 ATS in its last 10 games and 13-2 ATS in its last 15 games as favorites of 7 or more. Miami, on the other hand, has struggled against the spread, particularly against higher-ranked teams, with a record of 2-8 ATS in its last 10 games against AP Top 10 teams.

Miami's defensive coordinator, Corey Hetherman, has a strong defensive pedigree, with his Minnesota defense ranking Top 20 in the nation in EPA per play allowed (-0.10) and yards per play allowed (5.05) last season.

The total for the game is set at Over 50.5 (-115) and Under 50.5 (-105). As of 1:15 pm ET on Friday, August 29th, the moneyline odds for the game are Notre Dame -142 and Miami +120.

Despite Mario Cristobal's history of in-game decision-making mistakes, Miami will be hoping to upset the odds and knock Notre Dame off their stride. However, with Notre Dame's strong defensive and offensive performances in recent games, including a surprise victory over Georgia, the Fighting Irish are being tipped by some experts as serious contenders for a College Football Playoff 2025 nomination.