Kickoff: Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET
Line: Stanford -1.5, Total: 44

Two top-notch teams square off on Saturday afternoon as No. 9 Notre Dame hosts No. 14 Stanford.

The Cardinal (2-2 ATS) are coming off a big road victory at Washington, using the nation’s best defense to squeak out a 20-13 victory, while the Irish (3-1 ATS) recorded their fourth straight win by at least two touchdowns by knocking off Syracuse 31-15 on a neutral field in East Rutherford, NJ. Last season, these two schools played a close game that Stanford was eventually able to win 27-20. In that meeting, the Cardinal outgained the Fighting Irish, 419-263, while allowing only 64 yards on the ground (2.7 YPC). Quarterback Kevin Hogan did not have his best game (12-of-18, 158 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT), but Stanford did a great job of grinding out the game on the ground with 261 rushing yards on 51 carries (5.1 YPC). The Cardinal give up only 6.5 PPG, and that will obviously play a big role in the outcome on Saturday. The Fighting Irish are 5-15 ATS against defenses that allow less 14.0 PPG or less since 1992, but they are also a perfect 6-0 ATS when facing a good team (60% to 75% win pct.) over the past three seasons. The offense is different than last season, as QB Everett Golson is back this season, and has shown he has improved greatly from two seasons ago when he led his team to the national championship game. Last week, he threw for 362 yards and 4 TD, while also setting a school record with 25 consecutive completions. While the Fighting Irish were able to win against Syracuse, they turned the ball over five times in that victory. If Notre Dame is going to get the win this week, it can ill-afford to turn the ball over like that.

Can Stanford hand Notre Dame its first loss of the season? For the answer, connect to College Football Best Bets for all the StatFox Experts picks throughout the 2014 regular season and bowl season. The experts went a combined 19-17 ATS (53%) in the past two weeks, highlighted by StatFox Scott's 5-2 ATS mark and StatFox Gary's 4-3 ATS record.

While the defense of the Cardinal gets most of the talk, there is talent on the offensive side of the ball. QB Kevin Hogan (883 passing yards, 8 TD, 2 INT) does a great job of minimizing his mistakes and managing the offense. With such a great defense, he does not have to go out there and win games by throwing the ball 50+ times. Rather, he needs to just keep the offense moving, and capitalize if there is an opportunity. Hogan is 10-2 against ranked teams in his career, with one of his losses being against the last ranked team he played, USC in Week 2. While the running game is not the same as it was last year, this is still a talented unit that does it more by committee. RBs Barry Sanders (21 carries, 153 yards) and Remound Wright (29 carries, 151 yards) are both capable backs that are continuing to improve throughout the season. One thing they have to do is score touchdowns. The team has rushed for only four touchdowns this year, with two coming from Hogan. The other two are from WR Ty Montgomery and FB Patrick Skov. If this duo can start running the ball better, it is going to open things up for Montgomery (26 catches, 275 yards, 3 TD), who is one of the most dynamic players in the country. He is not only a playmaker in the passing game, but also has the ability to run the ball, and return kicks. His ability to get behind the defense means that opposing teams are always going to have a safety over top against him. That allows the middle of the field to be wide open for guys like Austin Hooper (15 catches, 189 yards, 1 TD) and Devon Cajuste (11 catches, 155 yards, 3 TD). Cajuste had a touchdown in the game against the Fighting Irish, and is a difficult matchup at 6-foot-4 and 228 pounds. The defense enters this game allowing only 6.5 PPG, which is tops in the country. Through four games, they have given up only two touchdowns. LB Blake Martinez (31 tackles) is the leading tackler on the team, always seeming to be around the ball. Sophomore LB Peter Kalambayi (15 tackles, 5 TFL, 4 sacks) gives the Cardinal a young playmaker that can get after the quarterback. Everett Golson has the ability to make plays with his feet, so the Cardinal will have to be ready to run from sideline to sideline.

Everett Golson (1,142 passing yards, 11 TD, 2 INT) has been terrific thus far in the season, also rushing for 104 yards and four touchdowns. This season he has shown much improvement on the deep ball, allowing the team to take more chances down the field, compared to when he was the quarterback two years ago. However, like the Cardinal, there has been a struggle rushing the ball. RB Greg Bryant (33 carries, 174 yards, 1 TD) has shown some potential from the position, but he has not been consistent running the football. In the game against the Orange, the Fighting Irish went to more of a short passing game. WR William Fuller (25 catches, 344 yards, 5 TD) had a big game last week, tallying 119 yards and two touchdowns. Golson has done a great job of spreading the ball around, as five Notre Dame receivers have a touchdown thus far. The defense is led by LB Jaylon Smith (31 tackles), who does a great job of making sure every player is where he needs to be, while DL Romeo Okwara leads the team with 2.5 sacks. The unit has been outstanding this year, allowing only 11.5 PPG. Both of the teams can stifle an opponent, but the key to this game very easily could be the play of the quarterback. Hogan is the guy that has played his role for so long and knows what to do, but Golson is the type of player that can single-handedly win football games.