What: No. 14 Stanford Cardinal at No. 9 Notre Dame Fighting Irish

When: 3:30 PM ET, October 4, 2014

Where: Notre Dame Stadium, Notre Dame, IN

TV Schedule: NBC

Live Stream: NBC

Where They Stand:
No. 14 Stanford Cardinal (-2.5)(3-1, 1-1 Pac-12)
No. 9 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (4-0)

The No. 9 Notre Dame Fighting Irish host the No. 14 Stanford Cardinal in a matchup that will make or break their respective seasons.

Notre Dame comes in undefeated, but played a sloppy game against Syracuse on a neutral field Saturday. Coach Brian Kelly said he doesn't expect a similar performance out of his team, but that he doesn't look at this game in the same light.

"We really focus on what we need to do to get better. We turned the ball over. We gave up some big plays on the perimeter. We focus a lot more on that stuff than the bigger picture issues," he said Tuesday, adding the focus of the coaching staff is developing players.

"We are not an experienced group and if we sway too far from working on getting out of our breaks and taking a direct snap, because we may fumble it, we're going to be in trouble. So that's where I really have to stay as a task master when it comes to those details.”

The Cardinal’s lone loss came at the hands of USC at home and another loss will likely end their dream of a national playoff birth. Stanford still has a shot at the Pac-12 crown regardless of what happens against the Irish on Saturday.

The Irish lead the all-time series with the Cardinal 18-10, but Stanford has topped Notre Dame four of the last five times they have faced off. Before this current run of wins for the Cardinal, the Irish had won seven straight from 2002 to 2008.

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