No. 9 Notre Dame rolls over Stanford 49-20 on its way to College Football Playoff

Notre Dame defeated Stanford 49-20 at Stanford Stadium to secure its 10th consecutive win and bolster its College Football Playoff resume. The ninth-ranked Fighting Irish jumped to an early lead, scoring the first 28 points, including an 84-yard touchdown on a fake punt. Despite an injury to Heisman Trophy candidate Jeremiah Love, who ended the game with 66 yards and a touchdown, Notre Dame continued to dominate.

Stanford concluded the season with a 4-8 record under interim coach Frank Reich. The program announced Tavita Pritchard, former Cardinal quarterback and current Washington Commanders quarterbacks coach, as the new head coach. Stanford struggled against CFP-ranked opponents, losing six games by significant margins. Key player Micah Ford was absent due to a hand injury sustained in practice, while redshirt freshman quarterback Elijah Brown completed 18 of 37 passes for 204 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Charlie Mirer, in his final game at Stanford, threw a touchdown