Unbeaten Miami heads to Notre Dame, 38 years after the Pat Terrell play
No. 1 Miami brings an 8-0 record to South Bend, where a 1988 two-point stop by Pat Terrell still shapes the rivalry. Notre Dame is favored by 7.5.
Miami goes to South Bend on Saturday night at 8-0, sitting first in the College Football Playoff committee's opening rankings. Waiting there is a Notre Dame team that needs the game more than the Hurricanes do. The Irish are 7-1 and fourth in the AP poll, but the committee put them at No. 11 on Tuesday, and Yahoo Sports reported that chair Hunter Yurachek pointed to their schedule. Notre Dame's only loss came at BYU, it has no signature win yet, and its remaining opponents (Boston College, SMU and Syracuse) are all unranked. For Miami, a win would strengthen its hold on the top spot. For Notre Dame, a loss could cost it a playoff place for the second straight year.
The last time Miami came to Notre Dame Stadium unbeaten and ranked first, it left without the win. SB Nation writer Lisa Kelly went back to October 15, 1988, the Catholics vs. Convicts game, through an interview with former Irish defensive back Pat Terrell. Miami was the defending national champion. Steve Walsh's late touchdown pass to Andre Brown cut Notre Dame's lead to 31-30, and Jimmy Johnson went for two instead of the tie. Terrell had been a starter in the secondary for only a few weeks after moving over from wide receiver. With George Williams pressuring Walsh, Terrell knocked down the conversion pass to Leonard Conley, a Florida high school opponent he already knew. Notre Dame won 31-30 and went on to take Lou Holtz's national title. When Tony Rice later teased him for not making the interception, Terrell told Kelly he wanted it to be dramatic, because "ANYONE can catch the ball."
The recent history goes the other way. Miami beat Notre Dame in last season's opener at Hard Rock Stadium, and the committee then moved the Hurricanes ahead of the Irish in its final rankings, which left Notre Dame out of the playoff.
What it means for Saturday
The Hurricanes have scored 381 points in eight games, close to 48 per game, and have allowed fewer than 18. The defense has been less steady lately. North Carolina, Pittsburgh and Florida State averaged 31 points over Miami's last three games, and the 38-35 win at Chapel Hill was the closest of the season. Two of Miami's best results came on the road, 41-13 at Clemson and 45-6 at Stanford, but this will be its biggest road test so far.
The market sees it differently from the committee. ESPN listed an opening line of Notre Dame by 4.5, and the number has since moved toward the Irish. Across the 12 venues on our game board, Notre Dame is favored by 7.5 at Novig, priced at +111 there, while the best Irish price anywhere is Pinnacle's -116 at -7. Miami +7.5 is -117 at Novig and -110 at theScore Bet, the best price available. On the moneyline, Novig has Notre Dame at -270 and Miami at +264. Novig's total is 55.5, priced at -100 on the over and -108 on the under. theScore Bet is a point lower at 54.5. Sportsbook hold on the game ranges from 3.5% to 6.7%, so it is worth checking how far the venues differ before reading too much into any single number.
Kickoff is Saturday night on NBC.
