Overview

• Kickoff is Sunday, Aug. 31 at 7:30 p.m. ET at Hard Rock Stadium, with ABC carrying the game, and sportsbooks list Notre Dame as about a field-goal favorite.
• Notre Dame named redshirt freshman CJ Carr its Week 1 starter, while reports indicate Miami plans to debut Georgia transfer Carson Beck following his UCL recovery.
• Miami enters with heavy portal turnover and a new defensive coordinator in Corey Hetherman, who aims to unsettle the quarterback; Notre Dame added seven transfers and returns a highly rated defense.
• Previews highlight the trenches: Miami’s experienced line led by Francis Mauigoa keys a power run game with Mark Fletcher Jr., and Notre Dame leans on Heisman candidate Jeremiyah Love behind a physical front.
• Bill Connelly’s SP+ slots Notre Dame sixth and Miami 12th, and multiple previews flag special teams as pivotal, with new Irish kicker Noah Burnette versus Miami’s Bert Auburn potentially deciding a tight finish.