Notre Dame football is on the cusp of an exciting kickoff, with fans from all over eagerly awaiting the game. The iconic blue and gold uniforms will adorn the players as they take the field in Notre Dame Stadium on Friday night at 7 p.m. local time, ready to face off against the Indiana Hoosiers.

Notre Dame's Path to the Playoffs

Uniforms and Atmosphere

The sight of Notre Dame football players in their blue and gold uniforms is a sight to behold. These colors have become synonymous with the Notre Dame brand, and they inspire a sense of pride and excitement among the fans. The atmosphere in Notre Dame Stadium on Friday night is sure to be electric, with fans filling the stands and cheering on their team.The stadium itself is a legendary venue, with a rich history and a sense of tradition. It is a place where legends have been made and memories have been created. As the players take the field, they will be surrounded by the energy of the crowd and the history of the stadium, setting the stage for an unforgettable game.

Team Performance and Stats

Indiana and Notre Dame have been two of the nation's most complete teams in the 2024 season. The Irish look to steamroll past the Hoosiers on their sold-out home field and advance to the Sugar Bowl to face Georgia. Irish and Hoosiers statistically rank in the nation's top ten for many stats, but how true are some of these stats? The Hoosiers' schedule shows that they truly haven't been tested.Notre Dame football has a dominant run game, led by a dynamic duo of running backs in Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price, along with one of the nation's best rushing quarterbacks in Riley Leonard. Since the 2023 season, Notre Dame is 19-4 against the spread when the Irish rush for 100 yards or more. This dominance on the ground has led them to the CFP, where they plan to lean on their rushing attack.Irish fans look to see similar results on Friday night as their team is top ten in the nation in rushing yards per game with 224.8 and has 40 touchdowns on the season that came from the ground. Notre Dame also leads the nation ATS under Marcus Freeman. Since Freeman became head coach in 2022, Notre Dame is the best against the spread team in the country. They have had some bad losses in this era, such as their lone loss vs Northern Illinois this year or their loss to Marshall in 2022, but their overall record against the spread is impressive.The Irish are 23-11-2 against the spread and 9-3 against the spread this year. They are dominating both sides of the ball, ranking top 10 in multiple categories. They have given up the fifth fewest number of touchdowns at just 20, but on the other side of the ball, they are third in total touchdowns with 65. Irish are averaging a near 40 points per game, which ranks third, and are giving up just about 14 points per game, which ranks eighth.

Defense and Dominance

Irish defense has been nothing but dominant under Marcus Freeman. This year, he is led by All-Americans in Xavier Watts and Rylie Mills. Watts and Mills have caused chaos on the defensive side of the ball, allowing just a 30% conversion percentage on 3rd down and having the nation's best passing efficiency on defense at 94.1.The Hoosiers' record on the road since 2022 is 4-10, and their record against the top 15 is 0-7, with three of those losses coming on the road. Since 2021, the Hoosiers are winless against the top 20, going 0-13 with an average loss against the top 20 by 25. Their only test this season was against Ohio State, and they went on to have their worst game of the season, losing 38-15.The Irish will begin their playoff run tomorrow and try to claim themselves as a legit national contender. The Fighting Irish have won 10 straight by a margin, when you combine all the scores, 441-134. Notre Dame football looks to not only beat Indiana but make a statement win and set the tone for this playoff run.