Boston College vs Notre Dame venue: a packed Notre Dame Stadium under the lights during a night game

BC at No. 5 Notre Dame Today: Eagles Need 2 Wins in Final 3 for Bowl Eligibility

Boston College vs Notre Dame kicks off at 3:30 p.m. ET on NBC. The 4-5 Eagles need two wins in three games for a bowl; the No. 5 Irish allow 14.6 points a game.

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Boston College vs Notre Dame venue: a packed Notre Dame Stadium under the lights during a night game
Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Ind., during a night game in 2021 (file photo). Photo: Eccekevin, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
4-5
Boston College record entering Saturday
2
Wins BC needs in its last 3 games to reach six
No. 5
Notre Dame in the Nov. 10 CFP rankings
3:30 p.m.
Kickoff (ET) on NBC and Peacock

Boston College (4-5, 2-4 ACC) visits No. 5 Notre Dame (8-1) at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, Nov. 14, at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Ind. The game airs on NBC and streams on Peacock.[1][2] Boston College vs Notre Dame starts a three-game finish in which the Eagles need two wins to get to six, the usual threshold for bowl eligibility.[3]

BC has lost two straight: 47-2 at Duke on Oct. 31 and then 31-24 at home to Florida State on Nov. 7 (our Florida State-Boston College recap).[3] Notre Dame has won two in a row since its only loss, 28-24 at BYU on Oct. 17. It beat Navy 35-13 and then Miami 31-24 (our Notre Dame-Miami story).[4]

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How to watch BC at Notre Dame

Jason Benetti has play-by-play on NBC, with Jason Garrett as the analyst and Caroline Pineda reporting from the sideline.[1] On the radio, the game is on WEEI 93.7 FM. Boston College Sports Network coverage begins 30 minutes before kickoff, with Jon Meterparel calling the game alongside former BC linebacker Pete Cronan and former BC quarterback Scott Mutryn.[1] Notre Dame says stadium gates open 90 minutes before kickoff.[2]

Where Notre Dame stands in the playoff race

The College Football Playoff selection committee put Notre Dame at No. 5 in its second rankings, released Nov. 10. That was up from No. 11, and the committee said Notre Dame is the first team in CFP history to jump from outside the top 10 into the top five in one week.[5] Georgia, Utah, Alabama and UCLA are ranked ahead of the Irish (see the full Nov. 10 College Football Playoff rankings).[5]

Under the 12-team format, Notre Dame is in the playoff if it is ranked in the top 12 of the final rankings. The committee releases its next rankings on Tuesday, Nov. 17, at about 9 p.m. ET on ESPN.[5] After BC, the Irish play SMU on Nov. 21 and finish at Syracuse on Nov. 28.[4]

By the numbers: a 17-point scoring gap

Through nine games, Boston College has scored 197 points and allowed 243, or 21.9 points per game against 27.0. Notre Dame has scored 354 and allowed 131, or 39.3 per game against 14.6. (TBR calculations from final scores.)[3][4] Notre Dame scores 17.4 more points per game than BC and allows 12.4 fewer.

BC’s minus-46 point differential comes almost entirely from one game. The 45-point loss at Duke accounts for nearly all of it: over its other eight games, BC has been outscored by just one point, 195-196 (TBR calculation).[3] Notre Dame has scored at least 31 points in seven of its nine games and has held four opponents to 10 points or fewer.[4]

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Bar chart comparing points scored and allowed per game in 2026: Boston College 21.9 scored and 27.0 allowed, Notre Dame 39.3 scored and 14.6 allowed
Source: Boston College Athletics and ESPN final scores, 2026 season through Nov. 8; TBR calculations. Chart: The Boston Report.
TeamRecordPoints forPoints againstPer game (for/against)
Boston College4-5 (2-4 ACC)19724321.9 / 27.0
Notre Dame8-135413139.3 / 14.6

The series history leans the same way. BC’s game notes list Notre Dame with 18 wins to BC’s 9, and the Irish have won the last four meetings: 40-7 in 2019, 45-31 in 2020, 44-0 in 2022 and 25-10 in Chestnut Hill on Nov. 1, 2025.[6]

Boston College players to watch

Quarterback Mason McKenzie leads BC with 1,616 passing yards and 676 rushing yards.[6] The school says his rushing total ranks sixth in the ACC and is the best among the league’s quarterbacks, and his 254.7 yards of total offense per game rank seventh.[1] BC averages 165.9 rushing yards per game, seventh in the ACC. Bo MacCormack III averages 5.04 yards per carry and ran for 105 yards on 16 carries against Florida State.[1] Javarius Green leads the Eagles with 322 receiving yards.[6]

The defense has been BC’s best unit by the school’s numbers. Its 15 takeaways, 12 interceptions and three fumble recoveries, are the most in the ACC, and the 12 interceptions rank seventh nationally. Charlie Comella has four of them. BC allows 187.3 passing yards per game, second in the ACC. KP Price leads the conference with 41 solo tackles, and Marcus Upton is second with 40.[1]

What to watch (TBR analysis)

  • Turnovers. Notre Dame has outscored opponents by 24.8 points per game (TBR calculation), so BC probably needs extra possessions to stay close. Its ACC-leading interception total is the most obvious way to get them.[1][4]
  • Ball control. With McKenzie and MacCormack, the Eagles’ running game is the most efficient way to shorten the game and keep Notre Dame’s offense off the field.[1]
  • Bowl math. BC’s last two games are Syracuse on Senior Day at Alumni Stadium (Nov. 21, noon) and a trip to Miami (Nov. 28), which is No. 7 in the CFP rankings.[3][5] A loss Saturday would mean BC has to win both to reach six wins.
  • Road form. BC is 1-3 away from Chestnut Hill this season. Its only road win was 49-27 at Georgia Tech on Oct. 24.[3]

Sources

  1. Boston College Athletics: Week 11 Media: BC at Notre Dame (game notes)
  2. Notre Dame Athletics: Football vs. Boston College: game day information
  3. Boston College Athletics: 2026 Football Schedule and Results
  4. ESPN: Notre Dame Fighting Irish 2026 Schedule
  5. College Football Playoff: CFP Selection Committee Releases Second Rankings of 2026
  6. Boston College Athletics: Game Center: Football at Notre Dame, 11/14/2026

About the reporter: Thomas Redfield covers sports for The Boston Report. This article was produced with AI under our editorial policy. Read our AI and media disclosure.

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