ESPN FPI predictions for No. 10 Notre Dame vs. No. 25 Louisville

No. 10 Notre Dame (5-1) plays a third consecutive ranked, undefeated opponent Saturday when the Fighting Irish head south to take on No. 25 Louisville (5-0). ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI) heavily favorites the Fighting Irish to improve their record to 2-1 in that stretch.

The FPI gives the Irish a 70.6 percent chance to beat the Cardinals outright, and it predicts the Irish to win the game by eight points. That would cover the 6.5-point spread at which Las Vegas oddsmakers currently have the line set.

Some other notes from ESPN..

• The Irish are 11-3 against the spread on the road since the beginning of the 2020 season.
• In head coach Marcus Freeman‘s one and a half year tenure, not including the 2021 Fiesta Bowl, the Irish are 6-1-1 against the spread against ranked teams.
• The Cardinals have covered the spread in each of their last three meetings with the Irish.

Kickoff in Louisville is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC, which marks the second week in a row the Irish have appeared in ABC’s primetime window. Of course, the game two weeks ago against then-No. 6 Ohio State kicked off at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC. That’s the same time and place the Irish will take on No. 9 USC (5-0) in South Bend next week.

Notre Dame tweets of the day

Quarterback Sam Hartman has revolutionized the Irish offense.