Two undefeated programs with a lot of familiarity with one another renew their rivalry on Saturday as the No. 3-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish clash with the Michigan State Spartans in South Bend. This is the first meeting in the Battle for the Megaphone since back in 2017. Each side is 2-0 in the early stages of 2026, but it's the Irish who are viewed as a national championship contender, and they have one of the best players in the country under center in CJ Carr, a potential Heisman Trophy contender.
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The Irish declined to partake in last season's bowl games after failing to be selected for the College Football Playoff. The team looks determined to not miss out a second time, having started with a 41-13 win over Wisconsin before bullying Rice 52-0. The meeting with Michigan State represents a second meeting with a lower-end Big Ten team in three outings.
Carr has been strong thus far, going 35-for-49 for 492 yards and six touchdowns. Leading receiver Jordan Faison has eight catches for 135 yards and two scores. While the Spartans don't necessarily represent too daunting an opponent for the Fighting Irish (as the heavy spread would indicate), Notre Dame does need to treat this rivalry game with real seriousness.
The toughest remaining opponents on Notre Dame's schedule are No. 11 BYU (away), No. 5 Miami (home) and No. 16 SMU (home). Notre Dame should be capable of beating all three, even though a trip to Provo is never easy. There isn't a Big Ten or SEC heavyweight in that group, which means the Playoff committee will want to see the Fighting Irish beating up on all of their unranked opponents.
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