On a November afternoon in South Bend, the Irish arrive at Notre Dame Stadium carrying the weight of a hard-won victory, facing a Boston College side that has stumbled to 4-5. The week after a game that will be remembered for its ending, the season's larger question quietly returns: whether a team can keep its hopes of the playoff alive one opponent at a time. Among the familiar rituals of the rivalry, the broadcast also carries a note of grief, as Jason Benetti takes the microphone in tribute to Dan Hicks, whose voice once filled that same booth.
No. 5 Notre Dame Hosts Struggling Boston College in Live Holy War Renewal
The game after THE GAME
Mark
Why does a game against a 4-5 team get this much attention?
Mimi
Because of what came before it. Notre Dame beat the top-ranked team last week, and the way to keep that win meaningful is to win the next three games, starting with this one.
Luke
Worth saying: the playoff path is the Tribune's read. It says the win seemingly set one up. Nothing here confirms how the selection committee sees it.
Mark
The line is 29.5 points. What does that tell us?
Mimi
That bettors see Notre Dame as a heavy favorite, more than four touchdowns.
Luke
It's a market number, not a prediction of the score. And the source says nothing about why Boston College is struggling beyond the 4-5 record.
Mark
And the broadcast has a different story attached.
Mimi
Yes. Jason Benetti is calling the game in place of Dan Hicks, who died Thursday at 64 after nearly forty years at NBC.
Luke
The source doesn't give a cause of death or say how NBC plans to mark it on air. We only know Benetti is stepping in.
Mark
So what should a reader watch for?
Mimi
Whether Notre Dame takes care of business, and then the last two games.
The Pulse
- Notre Dame comes in fresh off a 31-24 upset of then-No. 1 Miami, and the emotional hangover from that finish still hangs over the week.
- A 29.5-point spread makes the Irish heavy favorites, but the game is being watched as a test of focus rather than a question of talent.
- Every win now matters for the playoff path, with Boston College the first of three remaining regular-season obstacles.
- The Tribune is on the ground with live updates, while NBC and Peacock carry the broadcast with Benetti honoring the late Dan Hicks.
On a November afternoon in South Bend, the Irish arrive at Notre Dame Stadium carrying the weight of a hard-won victory, facing a Boston College side that has stumbled to 4-5. The week after a game that will be remembered for its ending, the season's larger question quietly returns: whether a team can keep its hopes of the playoff alive one opponent at a time. Among the familiar rituals of the rivalry, the broadcast also carries a note of grief, as Jason Benetti takes the microphone in tribute to Dan Hicks, whose voice once filled that same booth.
Notre Dame Stadium opens its gates Saturday for a game that feels shaped by what came before it. No. 5 Notre Dame, now 8-1, meets Boston College, 4-5, at 3:30 p.m. ET, just one week after the Irish knocked off then-No. 1 Miami 31-24 in a finish that kept the whole country talking.
That Miami result did more than add a win to the ledger. According to the South Bend Tribune, it opened a path to the College Football Playoff, as long as Notre Dame wins its final three regular-season games. Boston College is the first of those, and the Tribune has framed it as the game that follows THE GAME.
The Eagles arrive struggling, and the oddsmakers have made that clear. Notre Dame is a 29.5-point favorite, a margin of more than four touchdowns, in a renewal of the Holy War series.
The broadcast carries its own weight. NBC and Peacock will show the game, with Jason Benetti on play-by-play, Jason Garrett in the color role, and Caroline Pineda on the sideline. Benetti is stepping in for Dan Hicks, who died Thursday at 64 after nearly four decades at NBC and several seasons calling Notre Dame games. His absence is a quiet presence in the booth.
For Notre Dame, the task is simple to describe: handle an opponent that has struggled and keep the playoff door open.
Notre Dame Stadium hosts a game on Saturday that comes with a hangover built in. No. 5 Notre Dame, 8-1, takes on Boston College, 4-5, at 3:30 p.m. ET, one week after the Irish beat then-No. 1 Miami 31-24 in South Bend in a game that went down to the end.
The Miami win changed the shape of Notre Dame's season. According to the South Bend Tribune, it seemingly opened a path to the College Football Playoff, provided the Irish win their last three regular-season games. Boston College is the first of those three. The Tribune framed the matchup as the game after THE GAME, a reference to how much attention last week's result drew.
The Eagles arrive struggling. At 4-5, they are a long way from the standing Notre Dame holds, and the betting market reflects it. Notre Dame is favored by 29.5 points, with the over/under set at 52.5 points. That spread is more than four touchdowns, which makes the Irish heavy favorites in the renewal of the series known as the Holy War.
The broadcast carries its own weight this week. NBC will televise the game, with streaming on Peacock. Jason Benetti will handle play-by-play, with Jason Garrett on color commentary and Caroline Pineda working the sideline.
Benetti is filling in for Dan Hicks, who died Thursday at 64. Hicks worked at NBC for almost four decades and called Notre Dame games during parts of seven seasons. His absence from the booth is a quiet note beside a game otherwise defined by playoff math.
The Tribune is on site at Notre Dame Stadium and is maintaining live updates, scoring plays, highlights and stats through the afternoon. The paper's podcast, Pod of Gold, this week features former Notre Dame captain Shawn Wooden.
For Notre Dame, the assignment is simple on paper: handle an opponent that has struggled and keep the playoff path open. Two regular-season games will remain once this one is done.
Notable Quotes
Jason Benetti is stepping in for the late Dan Hicks, who had been at NBC for almost four decades.— South Bend Tribune
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