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Greg McElroy predicts Notre Dame to win, cover vs. NC State

IMG_0985by: Griffin McVeigh10/10/25griffin_mcveigh
NCAA Football: Orange Bowl-Notre Dame at Penn State
Jan 9, 2025; Miami, FL, USA; The Notre Dame Fighting Irish prepare to take the field before the game against the Penn State Nittany Lions in the Orange Bowl at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

For the second time this season, Notre Dame dips into the ACC portion of its schedule. NC State comes to South Bend for a matchup, one where the Irish are heavily favored. BetMGM currently has them as a 23.5-point favorite. And while the number might be over three touchdowns, ESPN’s Greg McElroy still likes where Marcus Freeman‘s team sits.

“I’m taking Notre Dame in this game,” McElroy said via Always College Football. “I’d lay the points. I think the Irish are for real.”

Notre Dame started with back-to-back losses but to quality teams. Both Miami and Texas A&M are currently ranked inside the top 10, partly due to their wins vs. the Irish. Ever since then, it’s been positive with three straight wins. You have to imagine that a push for the College Football Playoff will come at some point.

But getting back to the NC State matchup, there was one area McElroy highlighted. He wants to see how the Notre Dame running backs are able to attack the opposing front seven. Not many teams have a one-two punch like Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price, needing to take advantage.

“We know what Love is,” McElroy said. “Steady, physical, elite open field speed. But Price is also very, very capable. These guys don’t take a backseat to pretty much anybody.”

We saw them take full advantage against Boise State, getting to 200 total rushing yards. Love surpassed the century mark himself, going for 103 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries. Price was not too far, rushing for 83 yards and his own score. Some more chunk plays came from him, averaging over 10 yards per carry.

McElroy believes more of the same will be needed vs. NC State. The Wolfpack are in the bottom five in the ACC when it comes to rushing yards allowed per game — 131.8. Certainly not a strength and an area Notre Dame can attack.

Kickoff from Notre Dame Stadium is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET. Peacock will stream the game for everyone to watch, one where plenty will be on the line. Notre Dame needs to keep pace for the rest of the year to remain alive in a big-picture sense. For NC State, it’s the final nonconference game of the season. They are quite deep into the year too, still not having a bye week. This will be their seventh game of the season with an overall record of 4-2.

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