The potential for a breather on Saturday exists to a certain extent for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. That’s because they enter their home opener matchup against the Northern Illinois Huskies as prohibitive favorites and have yet to lose to a MAC school in the seven previous contests. Both teams won their opening contests but the quality of those respective opponents was decidedly different in favor of the Irish.
Of course, until the teams take the field, Notre Dame remains at risk for what would be a stunning upset. Marcus Freeman will no doubt be emphasizing during the week the dangers of a letdown after the emotional win at Texas A&M.