Ian Book Leads Notre Dame to Blowout Win over Bryce Love, Stanford

Carlos Osorio/Associated Press

The Stanford Cardinal and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish met in South Bend, Indiana, on Saturday night for a Top 10 battle, and it was Notre Dame that remains undefeated following a 38-17 victory.

Both teams entered the showdown having already been tested early on this season. This game offered one team the opportunity to boost its resume, while the loser would have to spend the rest of the season proving it is among the best four teams in the country.

Below is a look at Saturday’s action and the impact it has on each team. 

Notre Dame Pads Resume With Another Quality Win

Notre Dame already has one quality victory on its resume, thanks to a season-opening win over then-No. 14 Michigan. Saturday night gave the Fighting Irish an opportunity to add another one.

Hopefully the College Football Playoff committee was paying attention.

Not many teams can boast a resume that features two Top 15 wins at this point in the season—but Notre Dame can. Now, Brian Kelly‘s squad has proved it can hang with top competition. 

This game figured to be Notre Dame’s biggest test the rest of the way. As of now, the Fighting Irish do not have another ranked opponent on their schedule. Virginia Tech could enter the rankings after taking down No. 22 Duke this week, so next weekend’s game between the Fighting Irish and the Hokies looms large.

After that, though, Notre Dame’s schedule is far from a gauntlet. Northwestern and Syracuse each nearly pulled off major upsets Saturday against Michigan and Clemson, respectively, but beating those teams will hardly impress the committee. Meanwhile, Florida State and USC are in the midst of disappointing seasons.

Notre Dame plays Pittsburgh and Navy as well.

At this point, the Fighting Irish’s resume speaks for itself. As long as they take care of business the rest of the way, they will have a compelling argument come December.

What’s Next

Notre Dame (5-0) will head to Blacksburg, Virginia, next week to take on Virginia Tech, who beat No. 22 Duke on Saturday. Meanwhile, Stanford (4-1) will look to bounce back as it returns home to host Utah as conference play resumes.