Week 1 of the 2025 college football season is finally here. Week 0 action was a fun little jumpstart, but now the big games begin. Notre Dame and Miami are very different teams than they were a year ago, but they’re both in position to vault themselves into 2025 contender status immediately.

Notre Dame will be starting a brand new quarterback in CJ Carr (despite some buzz that Kenny Minchey should have won the job). The team does return elite running back Jeremiyah Love and plenty of developing talent replacing the more than half dozen veterans now in the NFL from last season’s squad. However, the new pieces in the defensive secondary will need to gel quickly, and the offense will need to stay on schedule with a new passer if they want to win.

Miami has been building towards this season since Mario Cristobal arrived, but they too have questions. Will Carson Beck return to his old self post-injury, or toss interceptions like a year ago? Will the new wide receiver group prove to be good enough to take on Notre Dame, or get shut down by the two elite cornerbacks of the Fighting Irish?

Heading into this huge Week 1 matchup between two possible College Football Playoff teams, media members of A to Z Sports who cover both teams decided to weigh in, sharing their predictions for how this game should play out. Who will win? The picks are in. Enjoy!

Notre Dame 27, Miami 23

Notre Dame might be replacing their quarterback again this year, but both CJ Carr and Kenny Minchey were going to have no problem coming in and finding success with the roster head coach Marcus Freeman has been building around them. Jaden Greathouse broke out late last season and Notre Dame added a true outside X receiver in Malachi Fields to help give the Irish their best perimeter weapons in years. The defensive front has elite potential with sophomore phenom Bryce Young stepping up and Boubacar Traore now healthy.

Miami has a handful of future NFL talents that could prove to be the difference in this game like edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr., right tackle Francis Mauigoa, and of course quarterback Carson Beck, but Notre Dame’s depth should be enough to push them over the top late in the game. Even if the offense starts slow for the Irish, their ground game should win the day in the end. Close match, but Notre Dame wins 27-23. – Travis May

Notre Dame 31, Miami 16

Notre Dame isn’t a stranger to opening game matchups against top programs, and that won’t change when they head down to Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday night to take on the Miami Hurricanes. The main storyline surrounding the offense is redshirt freshman quarterback CJ Carr getting his first career start, but not enough people are talking about the supporting cast around him. The Irish have one of the better offensive lines in college football, and the top running back in the country in Jeremiyah Love. If the wide receiver room, led by Jaden Greathouse and Malachi Fields, is as improved as many believe, this has a chance to be one of the better offenses we have seen for Notre Dame in some time. Taking added stress off of Carr will be key, specifically getting the run game going with Love and Jadarian Price.

On defense, Notre Dame brings back an elite secondary that will be matched up against a Miami wide receiver room with a lot of question marks, and a turnover prone quarterback in Carson Beck. If Notre Dame can be competitive up front, they have a chance to condense the Hurricanes’ offensive attack. Taking the under for the Miami team total could be an interesting idea. – Ryan Roberts

Notre Dame 24, Miami 20

This game doesn’t have the same hype that the Catholics vs. Convicts matchups once had, but it is a fascinating one from multiple standpoints. On the Notre Dame side of things, new starting quarterback CJ Carr is set to debut against the Hurricanes. He’s got a talented receiver in Jaden Greathouse to help him get settled in, but the biggest factor of his success will be the running game spearheaded by Heisman Trophy candidate Jeremiyah Love. Consistency on the offensive side of the football is going to be huge for the Fighting Irish.

On the Hurricanes side, they have a lot of talent in the trenches, headlined by Rueben Bain Jr. and Francis Mauigoa, but all of the focus is going to go to Georgia transfer quarterback Carson Beck. After suffering a Tommy John injury to his throwing elbow in the SEC Championship Game, will it impact his already questionable arm strength? Can Shannon Dawson maximize his ability in his Air Raid-inspired offense? Plus, will Mario Cristobal going up into the press box make a difference for the Hurricanes?

There aren’t many matchups that should get a stand alone game on Sunday night, but this is certainly one of them. – Tyler Forness

Miami 27, Notre Dame 24

This game certainly has some interesting matchups, but few more so than at the lines of scrimmage. The Irish are breaking in a new starting QB in CJ Carr, and the best friend for a new signal caller is a good running game. With Jeremiyah Love carrying the ball, few are better. But one of the Canes’ strengths this year will be their defensive line, where they boast a mix of young and experienced players. Rueben Bain, Jr. is a projected first-round pick, and Akheem Mesidor has slimmed down, adding some burst, per Mario Cristobal. The young interior line rotation with Justin Scott and Armondo Blount is intriguing alongside veteran Ahmad Moten. The bottom line here is that if Miami can win on early downs against the Irish rushing attack, they’re in terrific position to make things tough for Carr and the passing game.

I think Carson Beck has gotten more flack this offseason than he deserved and he’ll operate Shannon Dawson’s offense effectively this season. I say that even with some question marks at the skill position areas. Miami’s offensive line should be good again, with the 6’9″ Markel Bell and future first rounder Francis Mauigoa bookending the group. But I think Miami is going to have to have a solid ground game to win, as Leonard Moore against just about anyone is a mismatch in Notre Dame’s favor.

Hard Rock Stadium is going to be electric, similar to the 2017 environment where Miami won 41-8. It surely won’t be nearly that lopsided this time around, but the Canes’ pressure forces enough mistakes to secure an early advantage, and they hold on to the finish line. – Craig Smith

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This game looks like it will be a close one to the very end. On average, our A to Z Sports staff expects this to end with a Notre Dame victory over Miami, 27-23. We’ll see how it actually plays out soon enough!

We’ll be back with more College Football coverage here at A to Z Sports soon! Follow me (@FF_TravisM) and A to Z Sports (@AtoZSportsNFL) on X for all the latest football news!