Friday night football takes on new meaning today as Notre Dame and Indiana meet in the first expanded College Football Playoff game and the first on campus. Here’s what to look for in the matchup with our updated prediction for the game.

Notre Dame rebounded from a shocking home loss to Northern Illinois to win 10 straight games and lead college football in margins of victory this season. This gave Notre Dame the right to host a first-round game to kick off a historic College Football Playoff.

Indiana is college football’s Cinderella team this season, posting the program’s best record under first-year coach Curt Cignetti and second in the FBS with more than 43 points per game.

What can we expect when the Hoosiers take on the Fighting Irish in this historic postseason matchup?

Here’s what to look for when Notre Dame hosts Indiana in this first-round College Football Playoff game with our updated prediction.

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1. Pressure. To counter Indiana’s aggressive downfield attack, Notre Dame wants to align its defensive front against IU’s protection, which it does nearly 46 percent of the time, although that pressure doesn’t always arise: ND ranks 91st in negative plays created.

And the Hoosiers are built to withstand that pressure: quarterback Kurtis Rourke is first in FBS in pass efficiency, yards per attempt and red zone efficiency when under pressure, and he has yet to throw an interception when works within the opponent’s 20.

Indiana can also turn heads by applying pressure against opposing quarterbacks nearly 40 percent of the time, ranking third in the FBS, and could have an advantage over an Irish line ranked 50th nationally if it it’s about releasing the pressure on more than a quarter of the dropbacks.

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2. On the ground. Notre Dame ranks 10th nationally in rushing performance with nearly 225 yards per game, is third in the FBS with more than 6.3 yards per carry, and is a close fifth in rushing touchdowns with 40 this season Indiana with 37.

Senior quarterback Riley Leonard is crucial in this endeavor as he is more of a threatening rusher than a passer and rushed for 721 yards on the ground with 14 touchdowns.

Sophomore back Jeremiyah Love leads the Irish with 945 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns, while junior Jadarian Price has 615 yards and 7 additional scores.

But they face a Hoosiers run stop that is among the stingiest in the country. It allows just 2.46 yards per attempt from opposing rushers, gives up just 70 yards per game on average, and is the only team in FBS to allow fewer than 1,000 total yards on the ground all year (850).

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3. Go deeper. Notre Dame’s pass defense is among the best in the country and ranks third in overall performance. She is allowing just a 48 percent completion rate and just 9 touchdowns while giving up just 26 completions of 20 or more yards downfield.

Kurtis Rourke leads one of the most productive passing offenses in the country. He threw for 2,827 yards with 27 touchdowns and just four interceptions, finishing ninth in this year’s Heisman voting.

He also commands the best red zone offense in America, scoring touchdowns on more than 81 percent of possessions within opponent’s 20, and the Hoosiers’ 54 red zone TDs are also the most.

Indiana has a remarkable arsenal of skills, led by wide receiver Elijah Sarratt and other targets like Omar Cooper, Ke’Shawn Williams and Myles Price, a group that averages more than 14 yards per reception.

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According to FanDuel Sportsbook, Notre Dame is a 6.5-point favorite against Indiana.

FanDuel lists the total score for the game as 51.5 points (over -105, under -115).

And it set the moneyline odds for the overall win for Notre Dame at -245 and for Indiana at +198.

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Indiana’s subpar schedule and poor performance against Ohio State will be a topic of conversation leading up to this game.

That ugly 38-15 road loss was the only blemish on the Hoosiers’ record, which included them finishing third nationally by 24.5 points over their opponents.

Cignetti should mentally prepare his team to avoid another disaster like this, and he has the weapons to credibly test an Irish secondary that, while remarkably productive on paper, has never faced such a prolific offense has faced or who has so many possibilities.

And while the Hoosiers put up good numbers against the run, that success came against some of the least threatening rushing offenses in the country.

Notre Dame features a three-man backfield that operates behind one of the most closed lines in the country, which presents a distinct difficulty for Indiana’s front to consistently stop.

College football headquarters chooses…

More… Notre Dame vs. Indiana result prediction based on football model

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When: Fri, December 20th
Where: Notre Dame, Indiana.

Time: 8pm Eastern
TV: ABC and ESPN networks

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The game odds are updated regularly and are subject to change.

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and needs help, please call 1-800-GAMBLER.

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