Notre Dame Football is finally back! College GameDay is headed to another primetime matchup with the Fighting Irish facing the Texas A&M Aggies. Marcus Freeman is entering a pivotal 3rd year as the Irish Head Coach with the addition of elite Offensive Coordinator Mike Denbrock, highly touted quarterback Riley Leonard, and a plethora of new wideouts. Meanwhile, Mike Elko takes over in College Station and is hoping to get revenge for his loss at Duke last Fall and upset the Fighting Irish.
Essential Game Info:
- Game Time: Saturday, August 31st at 7:30 PM ET on ABC
- Location: Kyle Field, College Station, Texas
- Matchup History: Notre Dame is 3-2 all-time against the Texas A&M Aggies (Last Matchup 2001 in College Station: The Aggies won 24 to 3).
- Current Odds: Texas A & M -3.0
Details
- Conference: SEC
- Head Coach: Mike Elko
- 2023 Record: 7-6 (4-4)
- 2022 Record: 5-7 (2-6)
Weather Forecast
The current GameDay forecast shows a 40% chance of rain, with a high of 92 degrees and a low of 76.
Texas A & M Storylines:
Mike Elko takes over as Head Coach at Texas A & M. After turning around the Notre Dame Defense in 2017, Elko headed to College Station to lead the defense under Jimbo Fisher. He then spent two seasons at Duke as Head Coach, where he had the Blue Devils up to #16, with a victory over Clemson and a near upset of the Irish. Ironically, led by Riley Leonard.
Kyle Field will be loud on Saturday Night. According to the new “EA Sports NCAA College Football 24,” Kyle Field is ranked as the toughest place to play in the nation. The stadium holds over 102,000, up from 82,000 the last time Notre Dame visited the Aggies in 2001. Johnny Manziel and the transition to the SEC undoubtedly helped pay for the stadium upgrades.
Quarterback Conner Weigman headlines the Aggie Offense. The 6’ 3” sophomore quarterback went 82 for 119 (69%) with 8 passing touchdowns and 2 interceptions last year. On the ground, he had 12 attempts for 63 yards (5.3 yards per carry) with 2 rushing scores.
The Aggie rushing attack is led by running back Le’ Veon Moss. In 2023, Moss had 96 carries for 484 yards (5 yards per carry) with 5 rushing touchdowns.
Notre Dame Storylines:
Riley Leonard makes his debut for the blue and gold. The Duke transfer enters his first matchup for the Irish with a plethora of new transfer receivers, one the best offensive coordinators in the country in Mike Denbrock, and a more mobile presence than Sam Hartman last season.
The Irish Offensive Line is the biggest question mark. Unfortunately, Notre Dame lost Charles Jagusah for the season during Summer camp. This is in addition to Joe Alt and Blake Fisher getting drafted, while Zeke Correll transferred to N.C. State. Joe Rudolph is a fantastic Offensive Line Coach, but replacing experience heading into Kyle Field is hard.
Can Notre Dame’s Defense dominate? There are a multitude of unknowns on the offensive side of the football, but Al Golden’s unit brings back a ton of experience. The secondary is headlined by Benjamin Morrison (projected 1st round pick) and Xavier Watts (winner of the Nagurski Award ). The trenches are led by Rylie Mills and Howard Cross III, both of whom are recognized as two of the best tackles in America.
Head-to-Head Matchups:
Notre Dame Offense vs. Texas A & M Defense: The Fighting Irish Offense will look completely different from a year ago. Coach Freeman has locked in on the weaknesses from 2023 with the addition of coordinator Mike Denbrock, quarterback Riley Leonard, and wide receiver Kris Mitchell, to name a few.
However, Mike Elko is a defensive mastermind, and this game is being played at Kyle Field in week one. I give the Aggie Defense the advantage in this category.
Advantage: Texas A & M
Texas A & M Offense vs. Notre Dame Defense: The Aggie Offense will have a new play caller, Collin Klein, who will take over as coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Texas A&M’s Offense may be the biggest wildcard in this matchup, but there is no question mark with Notre Dame’s Defense.
The Irish Defense was the backbone of the team last season. They kept the Irish in the game against Ohio State and Clemson, while dominating the USC Trojans, among others. With the return of key starters and the addition of several transfers, this unit could be one of the best in the nation.
The Fighting Irish have the advantage in this matchup.
Advantage: Notre Dame
Special Teams: Notre Dame’s Special Teams is led by transfer Mitch Jeter. The former South Carolina Gamecock is 23 for 25 in his career, with his longest conversion at 53 yards.
Texas A&M’s Randy Bond is 39 for 52, with a career-long of 52 yards.
Advantage: Tie
My Prediction
This matchup has major College Football Playoff implications for Marcus Freeman and the Fighting Irish. With Florida State losing in Week 0 to Georgia Tech, Notre Dame’s mediocre schedule this Fall is looking even slimmer. Yes, even if the Irish were to lose this primetime matchup, they would not be out of the new 12-team playoff race.
However, the Fighting Irish do not only want to make the playoffs, but it should be a goal to host a first round matchup. Doesn’t playing at home in December against a team such as Alabama sound more realistic on getting out of the first round than trying to win in Tuscaloosa, hypothetically?
This will be one of the most electric games of the season. There are a lot of variables heading into this matchup, but the Irish have the advantage at both coordinator positions and quarterback and one of the best defenses in the country.
I have the Irish escaping College Station with a 7-point victory.
Prediction: Notre Dame 24, Texas A & M 17
