Cincinnati will leave South Bend sometime Saturday evening assured of a $1.2 million payment from Notre Dame no matter this weekend’s result.
The No. 7-ranked Bearcats (3-0), though, want nothing more than to get the check and the win when they come to Notre Dame Stadium for a top-10 matchup against the No. 9 Irish (4-0) Saturday afternoon (2:30 p.m. ET, NBC).
Here is a look at three things to know about Cincinnati, which is coming off an open date and most recently played Sept. 18 when it won 38-24 at Indiana. The Bearcats are currently the only ranked team on Notre Dame’s schedule.
1. Defensive identity
Twelve years ago, Notre Dame hired Cincinnati’s head coach in part due to his offensive acumen.
This past winter, it pilfered a Bearcats assistant because of his defensive body of work. First-year Irish defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman’s success in the same role at Cincinnati from 2017-20 earned him a job (and a big raise) at one of college football’s most visible programs.
