The Pate State / The Wire
Updated OCT 10, 2026Notre Dame carries unbeaten start into Stanford game
What Happened
No. 3 Notre Dame was scheduled to host 2-3 Stanford for the Legends Trophy on Saturday, Oct. 10, at 3:30 p.m. ET on NBC, with the Irish’s 5-0 start and playoff path at stake. Notre Dame entered ranked No. 3 after wins over Wisconsin, Rice, Michigan State, Purdue and North Carolina. Stanford was 2-3 overall and 1-3 in ACC play after its three losses — to Miami, Duke and Wake Forest — were decided by a combined 137-16 margin. A loss to the Cardinal would badly damage Notre Dame’s playoff résumé. Josh Pate’s preseason bracket placed Notre Dame at No. 9 in the playoff field, making the Legends Trophy game part of the Irish’s path to support that projection. Notre Dame led the all-time series 25-14 and had won six of the previous seven meetings by an average of 29.5 points. Stanford coach Tavita Pritchard was in his first season, while Marcus Freeman was in his fifth at Notre Dame. The Irish were scheduled to play at BYU on Oct. 17. Freeman’s job against Stanford was simple: keep Notre Dame unbeaten.
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Sources: On3
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