Ninth-ranked Notre Dame (4-0) returns home to face seventh-ranked Cincinnati (3-0) on Saturday afternoon in a long-awaited showdown between two teams with plenty of shared history. Although the Fighting Irish have played the Bearcats just once (a 58-0 victory in 1900), there is significant connection between the respective coaching staffs. NBC will provide national television coverage beginning at 2:30 PM Eastern Time.
Coach Brian Kelly was hired at Notre Dame in December 2009 after a successful stint at Cincinnati, while Defensive Coordinator Marcus Freeman joined Kelly on January 8 of this year after three strong seasons in the Queen City.