On a late-summer evening in Miami Gardens, two football traditions that have long defined one another meet to open a new season, each guided by a quarterback who has not yet proven himself in the role he now occupies. Notre Dame's CJ Carr, the grandson of a former Irish coach, steps into his first start, while Miami's Carson Beck arrives with a championship-tested résumé and a fresh chance to write his own story. The outcome is still unwritten, and the predictions that circulate are only hopes and guesses, waiting for the first snap to turn them into history.
No. 10 Miami Hosts No. 5 Notre Dame in Week 1 Opener at Hard Rock Stadium
Two new quarterbacks, two old rivals, one blank scoreboard
Mark
Why does this opener matter so much beyond one game?
Mimi
Two top-10 teams, historic rivals, and Notre Dame fresh off a run to the national championship game. It's an early test with a lot of attention on it.
Mark
And the quarterbacks are the story?
Mimi
Largely. CJ Carr beat out Kenny Minchey and others in camp, and this is his first start. Carson Beck is in his third season as a starter after coming through the transfer portal.
Luke
Careful with the weight we put on Carr. His recruiting ranking, No. 6 in 2024 per 247Sports, says what evaluators thought, not how he'll play tonight.
Mark
What about the Cam Ward comparison for Beck?
Mimi
The source frames Beck as trying to rebuild his draft stock the way Ward did, with Shannon Dawson back as offensive coordinator.
Luke
That's a framing, not a forecast. Nothing here says Beck will match Ward's year.
Mark
Both Tribune writers pick Notre Dame.
Mimi
Yes, 24-17 and 24-20. Berardino expects two Beck interceptions, and Noie leans on the defense and the run game with Jeremiyah Love.
Luke
Those are two opinions from the same paper. The score is blank in the report, so we don't know the result.
O Pulso
- A rivalry as old as the sport opens the season in Miami, with both teams under the lights and a national audience watching.
- Two untested-as-starters quarterbacks carry the weight of the night, with Notre Dame's CJ Carr making his debut against a defense he has never faced.
- Miami's Carson Beck is racing to rebuild his draft stock after a transfer portal move, aiming to become the next Hurricanes passer to launch a pro career.
- Notre Dame leans on running back Jeremiyah Love, a returning star, and on a defense its writers believe can carry a young quarterback.
- Early forecasts favor the Irish, but the scoreboard is blank and the first drive will decide how much of the prediction survives.
On a late-summer evening in Miami Gardens, two football traditions that have long defined one another meet to open a new season, each guided by a quarterback who has not yet proven himself in the role he now occupies. Notre Dame's CJ Carr, the grandson of a former Irish coach, steps into his first start, while Miami's Carson Beck arrives with a championship-tested résumé and a fresh chance to write his own story. The outcome is still unwritten, and the predictions that circulate are only hopes and guesses, waiting for the first snap to turn them into history.
On the Hard Rock Stadium sideline, Jimmy Johnson, the legendary former Miami coach, fired up the crowd with the Hurricanes siren before a Week 1 game that carries real weight. Michael Irvin, who played for Johnson at Miami and later with the Dallas Cowboys, was in the building too, a reminder of how deep this program's roots run.
No. 10 Miami hosts No. 5 Notre Dame on Sunday, Aug. 31, at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. Both teams arrive with a new quarterback, and both carry the history of a rivalry that opens the 2025 season. Notre Dame comes off a run to the College Football Playoff championship game. Mario Cristobal leads Miami; Marcus Freeman leads the Irish.
For Notre Dame, CJ Carr won a heated camp battle and makes his first start. The grandson of former coach Lloyd Carr was ranked the No. 6 quarterback in the 2024 class. Across from him stands Carson Beck, a two-time national champion backup at Georgia now entering his third season as a starter. Beck is chasing the kind of draft-day leap Cam Ward made after his standout year with the Hurricanes.
Notre Dame also brings running back Jeremiyah Love, one of the country's top returners, who jumped to 1,125 yards and 17 touchdowns in 2024. South Bend Tribune writers lean Irish, with predictions of 24-17 and 24-20.
The score is still blank. What to watch is whether these two young quarterbacks can hold steady, and whether Beck can turn a season into the breakout he is seeking.
On the Hard Rock Stadium sideline in Miami Gardens, Florida, Jimmy Johnson, the legendary former Miami coach, cranked the Hurricanes siren and got the crowd fired up before a Week 1 game that carried real weight. Michael Irvin, who played for Johnson at Miami and later with the Dallas Cowboys, was in the building too.
The game itself was No. 10 Miami hosting No. 5 Notre Dame on Sunday, Aug. 31, with kickoff at 7:30 p.m. ET and a national broadcast on ESPN, also streaming on the ESPN app and Fubo. It pits two historic rivals against each other to open the 2025 college football season, and both arrive with a new face at quarterback. Notre Dame comes in on the heels of a run to the College Football Playoff championship game. Mario Cristobal leads Miami; Marcus Freeman leads the Fighting Irish.
For Notre Dame, the starter is CJ Carr. He won a heated training camp battle that included Kenny Minchey and others. Carr is the grandson of former Notre Dame coach Lloyd Carr, and 247Sports' Composite rankings listed him as the No. 6 quarterback in the 2024 recruiting class. This game is his debut as the starter.
Across from him is Miami's Carson Beck, who won two national championships as a backup at Georgia and is now entering his third season as a college starter. He was one of the most sought-after transfer portal recruits of the offseason. Beck is looking to rebuild his NFL draft stock the way Cam Ward did. Ward went No. 1 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft after a huge year with the Hurricanes under offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson, who has returned to Miami.
Notre Dame also brings one of the top returning running backs in the country, Jeremiyah Love. In 2023 he had 71 rushes for 385 yards and a touchdown, plus eight receptions for 77 yards and a touchdown. In 2024 he jumped to 163 rushes for 1,125 yards and 17 touchdowns, adding 28 catches for 237 yards and two more scores.
Two South Bend Tribune writers picked the Irish. Mike Berardino predicted a 24-17 Notre Dame win, with the Irish intercepting Beck twice and Carr having a successful debut. Tom Noie went with 24-20, writing that Carr does not need to be spectacular because Notre Dame's defense and run game should carry the team past the Hurricanes.
Both teams were also set to wear classic looks, a nod to the rivalry's history. The score was still blank at the time of this report, so the predictions remain only that. What to watch is how each new-look quarterback situation holds up, with Carr making his first start and Beck trying to show he can be the next Hurricanes passer to turn a season into a draft-day jump.
Citações Notáveis
Notre Dame's defense and run game should propel it to victory, and Carr doesn't have to be spectacular.— Tom Noie, South Bend Tribune (paraphrased)
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