On a perfect November afternoon in South Bend, Indiana, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish didn’t just beat the Syracuse Orange — they erased them. The final score, 70-7, wasn’t just lopsided; it was historic. Played on the final regular season game of 2025Notre Dame Stadium, the game was a brutal reminder of how quickly college football’s balance of power can shift — especially when one team is healthy and the other is barely standing.

Four Touchdowns in Seven Minutes

It didn’t take long for Notre Dame to send a message. Four touchdowns in the first seven minutes. Thirty-five points in the first quarter. By the time Syracuse’s offense even got a chance to breathe, the game was already over in all but the scorebook. The Irish didn’t just dominate — they executed with surgical precision. Quarterback Drew Pyne, stepping into his role as the season’s steady hand, hit six different receivers on drives that moved like clockwork. But the real star? Running back Jeremiyah Love.

Love, a junior with the kind of burst that makes defensive coordinators lose sleep, turned eight carries into 171 yards and three touchdowns. One run went for 62 yards. Another, a spin-and-dive into the end zone, drew gasps from the crowd. His performance didn’t just pad his stats — it catapulted him into serious Heisman Trophy conversation. "He’s not just a runner," said NBC analyst Craig James during halftime. "He’s a force of nature. And right now, he’s playing like the best player in the country."

Syracuse’s Season Collapses Under Weight of Injuries

Meanwhile, Syracuse was playing with a roster scraped from the bottom of the barrel. Starting quarterback Tay Johnson, their most reliable offensive weapon, was sidelined with a torn ACL suffered two weeks prior. Backup Luke Talich, a redshirt freshman who’d seen less than 15 minutes of action all season, took the snap. He managed one touchdown pass — a 12-yard dart to tight end Elijah Moore in the fourth quarter — but it was too little, too late. The Orange’s offensive line had three new starters. Their secondary had two players who’d never started a game before.

"We lost six starters to injury in the last three weeks," said Syracuse head coach Fran Brown afterward, voice heavy. "We didn’t have the depth. We didn’t have the time. And tonight… it showed." The team finished the season 3-8, 1-6 in the Atlantic Coast Conference — dead last in the league’s Coastal Division. Their season ended with three straight losses by an average of 31 points.

Notre Dame’s Playoff Case Strengthens

For Notre Dame, this wasn’t just a win — it was a statement. At 10-2 overall, the Irish had already clinched their best season since 2018. Their nine-game winning streak is their longest since 2012. They’ve outscored opponents by an average of 28 points per game over that stretch. And with a win over Stanford on November 29, they’ll finish 11-2 — a resume that could be enough to crack the College Football Playoff, especially if other top teams stumble.

"We’ve been building toward this," said head coach Marcus Freeman. "We knew we had the talent. The question was whether we could stay focused. Tonight, we proved we can." The Irish, competing as an FBS Independent, now have the most wins by any non-conference team this season. Their schedule strength — victories over ranked teams like Clemson, USC, and Pittsburgh — gives them an edge over other one-loss contenders.

The Ripple Effect: Bowl Projections and Future Implications

With the regular season over, bowl selections loom large. Notre Dame is projected to land in either the Cotton Bowl or the Fiesta Bowl — both New Year’s Six games — depending on the final playoff bracket. A win over Stanford could push them into the top four. Syracuse, meanwhile, is all but guaranteed a lower-tier bowl — likely the New Mexico Bowl or the Military Bowl — where they’ll face a mid-tier team from the AAC or MAC.

But beyond the bowls, the game exposed deeper issues. Syracuse’s roster turnover is staggering. They lost 14 scholarship players to transfer portal exits this year. Their recruiting class of 2025 ranked 85th nationally — one of the lowest in the ACC. "They’re rebuilding," said ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit. "But rebuilding without a quarterback, without a line, without depth… that’s not a project. That’s a crisis."

What’s Next?

Notre Dame heads to Stanford on November 29 for a matchup that could determine their playoff fate. The Cardinal, at 8-4, are coming off a win over Oregon and will be desperate to prove they belong in the Pac-12’s final year. For Syracuse, the focus shifts to January — and the long, painful process of rebuilding. Coach Brown has already begun contacting transfer portal targets, with at least three offensive linemen and two quarterbacks already on his radar.

For fans, this game was a stark contrast: one program ascending, another sinking. And in college football, that’s often the difference between glory and obscurity.