Jonathan Daniel
It's one of college football's best offenses facing off with an elite defense on Saturday night. Live national college football coverage all day here, and look through SB Nation's many excellent college football blogs to find your team's community.Follow @SBNationCFB
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish (7-0) head to Norman, Okla., to face the Oklahoma Sooners (5-1) in one of Saturday's premier matchups. The Irish are enjoying one of their best seasons in years, while OU still has a shot at the national title game.
Boasting college football's second-best defense, the Irish, led by Manti Te'o are allowing only 9.4 points per game. Te'o is playing at such a high level that he's already garnering Heisman buzz. This defense, paired with a extremely effective, multi-faceted running game, adds a dimension to Notre Dame's season that Brian Kelly's team hasn't had under his leadership in prior years. Theo Riddick and Cierre Wood make up the backbone of the offense, but they are joined by change-of-pace back George Atkinson III. The three combine to keep defenses off balance and form the 38th ranked rushing attack in the nation.
Oklahoma is an extremely talented team, whose offense will push Notre Dame's vaunted defense to its limits. The fifth-ranked scoring team in the nation, the Sooners are leaning heavily on the arm of quarterback Landry Jones, who has shown in 2012 why he's garnered such attention from NFL scouts. The senior has thrown for over 1,600 yards and 12 touchdowns, while only throwing three interceptions. One of the reasons Jones has been able to throw for so many yards is running back Damien Williams, who is running at an astonishing pace of 7.5 yards per carry.
Saturday night's game is a classic case of a high-powered offense meeting a stifling defense, and it should be one of the weekend's best contests.
Game time, TV channel: 8 p.m. ET, ABC
Point spread: Oklahoma favored by 10 points
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