As the morning settles in after Notre Dame’s 31-24 upset of No. 1 Miami, the feeling around this one still lingers.
The Irish didn’t just knock off the top team in the country on Saturday night - they did it in an atmosphere that felt bigger because of the tribute to Lou Holtz, whose legacy was honored after his passing earlier this year. Familiar faces lined the sideline, the crowd brought the noise, and Notre Dame delivered the kind of win that can reshape a season.
That result should send the Irish soaring in the polls and the College Football Playoff rankings, which is exactly what beating No. 1 is supposed to do. Notre Dame will head into Week 11 firmly in the CFP conversation now, and after sleeping on it, the takeaway is pretty clear: this was the kind of complete effort the Irish have been chasing for a few seasons. It wasn’t flawless, but it was a statement.
CJ Carr was at the center of it, and he came out on top in the duel with Miami’s Darian Mensah. Both quarterbacks played well, but Carr was sharper.
He threw for 316 yards to Mensah’s 276, finished without an interception while Mensah had one, and completed 72.5% of his passes compared to 55.8% for the Miami quarterback. It was the sort of performance that can push a player into the Heisman conversation, and Carr now looks like someone who should be headed to New York City in December.
Notre Dame also survived its own messiness. The biggest issue was the flags.
The Irish were penalized seven times for 56 yards, and several of those mistakes handed Miami automatic first downs and extended drives. That’s not typical Notre Dame football, and it could have sunk them against a team like this.
Instead, the Irish kept absorbing the punches and still walked away with the win.
On defense, Boubacar Traore set the tone early. In the first half, he seemed to be in the middle of everything - pressures, tackles for loss, and constant disruption.
Notre Dame’s second-half defensive problems came when others didn’t win their one-on-one battles after protection started sliding toward Traore. Even so, he still made his presence felt on the final play, and his performance is the kind of thing the Irish can build on as they push toward a title run.
Luke Talich deserves his own spotlight, too. If anyone had this kind of impact from him on their 2026 season bingo card, they should probably head out and buy a lottery ticket.
He wasn’t even viewed as a starter coming into the year, but Saturday night showed just how much he can matter. Talich’s performance will stick in Irish lore, and the senior looked like a player who could be ready for the next level.
There was also something fitting about the setting itself. The Notre Dame-Miami history already carries plenty of weight, and Holtz’s connection to the “Catholics vs.
Convicts” game in 1988 makes this matchup feel even more loaded. Could this win end up carrying the same kind of significance?
It could. And if Notre Dame were to break its title drought in the same year it beat Miami and after Holtz’s passing, that would be a story with real poetry to it.
Even the fan experience had a different feel. Notre Dame handed out LED wristbands, and the crowd turned them into a light show that added another layer to the night.
It was a unique touch, one that made the stadium feel even more alive. Between the atmosphere, the tribute, and the result, this was a memorable night from start to finish.
In Other News...
BYUs Playoff Hope Now Hinges On One Big 12 Break
BYUs playoff path has become a lot more complicated after a weekend of shifting results around the country, and Notre Dame is right in the middle of the conversation by virtue of how the rankings are shaking out. The latest projections have the Irish positioned as one of the teams benefiting from the chaos, while the Cougars are left needing help from the Big 12 race to keep their case alive as the season moves toward its final stretch.
What makes the picture even tighter is that the playoff field is still being sorted through conference title scenarios and at-large debates involving several familiar names, from Miami and Georgia to Alabama, Texas and Boise State. BYUs hopes now depend on a conference outcome beyond its own control, and until that gets settled, the Irish can keep watching the bracket math with a little more comfort than the teams still waiting on a break. [Read more 🡒]
Notre Dame Suddenly Has Real Momentum On Multiple Fronts
Notre Dame is piling up good news in a hurry, and it is coming from more than one corner of the athletic department. The mens hockey team just left Penn State with a road sweep, following a 5-4 overtime win with a 4-2 finish, while the football program kept its own run going with a 31-24 victory over Miami. In that game, safety Luke Talich made his presence felt with a critical interception, another reminder that the Irish have been getting impact plays when they need them most.
The momentum did not stop there. Linebacker recruit Julian Bruno also committed to Notre Dames football program, adding another piece to a class that the staff is trying to keep moving forward. Miami coach Mario Cristobal took issue with an officiating call in the loss, but the result still stood, and for Notre Dame the bigger picture is hard to miss right now: wins on the ice, wins on the field, and recruiting news that fits the same upbeat stretch. [Read more 🡒]
Wake Forests Playoff Path Just Got A Whole Lot More Real
Notre Dames win over Miami in Week 10 gave the Irish another important boost in the College Football Playoff race, and the ripple effects around the country only helped their case. Georgias dominant showing against Ole Miss and Alabamas win over LSU both reinforced the top of the rankings, while other teams ahead of Wake Forest took losses that reshaped the pecking order.
For Notre Dame, the bigger picture matters as much as the result on the field. Every time teams clustered above the Irish stumble, the path gets a little clearer, and this weekend delivered exactly that kind of help. The rankings are still far from settled, but with the Irish strengthening their resume and the teams around them taking hits, the playoff conversation is starting to tilt in their direction. [Read more 🡒]