Notre Dame sits at No. 11 in the College Football Playoff rankings with a single loss to No. 9 BYU, leaving the Fighting Irish on the playoff bubble. A Saturday matchup against No. 1 Miami is a must-win for Notre Dame and represents the most important game of quarterback CJ Carr's career.
Carr's season and struggles against ranked teams
Carr has completed 67% of his passes with an 18-to-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio and an 82.7 QBR, eighth-best nationally. However, against BYU, he completed only 55% of his passes (27-for-49), his lowest completion percentage and most attempts in a game. Over his career, Carr completes 61% of passes against ranked opponents with 6.6 yards per attempt, compared to 69% and 10.0 yards per attempt against unranked teams. In five games vs. ranked foes, he has six touchdowns and five interceptions; in 15 games vs. unranked teams, he has 36 touchdowns and two interceptions.
Miami's passing defense offers opportunity
Miami boasts the nation's top rushing defense but ranks 122nd in passing defense, allowing 251.9 yards per game and 7.1 yards per attempt. Recent opponents have exploited the secondary: North Carolina's Billy Edwards Jr. completed 82% of his passes for 341 yards and four touchdowns, while Florida State and Pittsburgh also posted strong passing numbers. This matchup could force Notre Dame to rely heavily on Carr's arm.
Carr is rated the No. 10 overall prospect in the CBS Sports NFL Draft Prospect Rankings and could become Notre Dame's first first-round quarterback since Brady Quinn in 2007. However, he is 0-2 against College Football Playoff teams last season and 0-1 against projected CFP participant BYU. A strong performance against Miami would bolster both Notre Dame's playoff hopes and Carr's draft stock.
