Notre Dame-Florida State Countdown: 10 To 1
10 With a victory tonight to improve to 10-0, it would be the ninth time in the football program’s history Notre Dame would reach the 10-0 mark: 1924 (national title), 1930 (national title), 1949 (national title), 1973 (national title), 1988 (national title), 1989 (No. 2 at 12-1), 1993 (No. 2 at 11-1), and 2012 (No. 4 at 12-1).
9 Notre Dame’s record was 9-0 likewise exactly 25 years ago this week when it faced No. 1 Florida State on Nov. 13, 1993. That was a form of a “last hurrah” for the Fighting Irish because it has never been quite the same since that 31-24 victory. In the 24 years from 1970-93, Notre Dame won three national titles, 10 major bowls (the most of any team in that span) and defeated No. 1 eight times (also the most). In the 24 years hence (1994-2017), it has zero in all three.
Perhaps a quarter century later, a “new hurrah” era can continue to build for the next 24-year cycle.
8 The Fighting Irish and Seminoles have met eight times in the series, dating back to 1981. The 6-2 series lead by Florida State is the best winning percentage (.750) in history by any team over Notre Dame with a minimum of five (or even three) meetings. FSU has won each of the past three games: 2003 (37-0), the 2011 Champs Sports Bowl (18-14) and 2014 (31-27).
7 Points or less decided six of the first eight meetings between Notre Dame and Florida State. The lone exceptions were the back-to-back encounters in 2002-03, with the first one won by the Irish (34-24) to improve to 8-0 and the next by FSU (37-0) in the third-highest margin of defeat Notre Dame ever had in its stadium.
6 This will be senior running back Dexter Williams’ sixth game this season. In the first five he carried 93 times for 568 yards and eight touchdowns. That practically matches his output his first three seasons combined with 99 carries for 641 yards and eight scores.
5 Among Notre Dame’s five most recent opponents, three have been held to less than 250 yards total offense: Northwestern (249), Pitt (242) and Stanford (229). It is the first time since the 12-1 team in 2012 the Irish have limited three opponents in one season to less than 250 yards total.
Among 129 FBS teams, Florida State enters the game 127th in rushing yards per game (76.9), 106th in total offense (360.1) and 104th in scoring offense (23.8) while already losing five times.
4 This will be the fourth start of the season for senior quarterback Brandon Wimbush, replacing the injured Ian Book, who is No. 1 in the nation in pass completion percentage (74.5 percent) and No. 6 in pass efficiency rating (169.96), both easily on pace to be single season Notre Dame records.
Wimbush’s first three starts this year were in Notre Dame Stadium, with similar scores and hard fought victories against Michigan (24-17), Ball State (24-16) and Vanderbilt (22-17). He also started 12 of the 13 games last year during a 10-3 campaign.
3 Rating of Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff poll, tying its loftiest status from last year in the five-year history of the association. It was in the 10th game last year at No. 3 when the season began to unravel with a 41-8 loss at No. 7 Miami.
An Irish victory also would mark the third time in the past seven years they finished unbeaten at home (after doing so only once in the 22 years from 1990-2011), and it would be the 11th straight at home — the third longest streak in Notre Dame Stadium since its opening in 1930.
2 With a win this would mark the second straight season (and third in last four) Notre Dame amassed 10 victories. Back-to-back double digit win totals have not occurred since the three in a row in 1991 (10-3), 1992 (10-1-1) and 1993 (11-1).
That feat also was achieved in 1988 (12-0) and 1989 (12-1), plus 1973 (11-0) and 1974 (10-2) — with the latter year marking the first time the Irish began playing 11 games during the regular season.
1 For the first time in head coach Brian Kelly’s nine-year era, the Fighting Irish will wear green jerseys at home. They have worn green, or elements of it, under him five times, and are 4-1: The Irish lost 35-31 at Michigan in 2011, but won all such Shamrock Series events versus Army in 2010 (27-3), Maryland in 2011 (45-21), Arizona State in 2013 (37-34), Boston College in 2015 (19-16) and Army in 2016 (44-6).
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