Rich Hidy, Sports Editor

In the last edition of the Rover, Sports Editor Rich Hidy and Politics & Economics Editor Tim Bradley took stabs at predicting Notre Dame’s season record. Sitting on a 3-1 record after a narrow escape over Michigan State, the Irish now look ahead to battling Oklahoma on Saturday in South Bend. Remember, both Hidy and Bradley have picked Notre Dame to beat the Sooners before dropping their second game to the Sun Devils in early October.

Without further ado, the Rover sports writer present their predictions for the final four games of the season.

Navy vs. Notre Dame:

Rich-Notre Dame, 35-6. This is the point in the season where the Irish should really be hitting their stride. The young playmakers such as Greg Bryant and Jaylon Smith should be excelling in more prominent roles at this juncture. Long gone are the days of 2010 when the Irish lost to Navy 35-17 at home.

Tim- Notre Dame, 42-17. Navy has not given Notre Dame much trouble for the past couple of years, and the Midshipmen are not nearly at the same level as Air Force. Stop the run and you stop Navy, as they are unlikely to throw the ball more than a handful of times. With big-hitters like Louis Nix and Stephon Tuitt hitting their midseason stride, the Irish should dominate the trenches against an overwhelmed Navy squad.

Notre Dame vs. Pittsburgh:

Rich-Notre Dame, 21-17. The triple overtime thriller last season will go down as one of the most entertaining games in the history of Notre Dame football. Pittsburgh got rocked by Florida State and Jameis Winston 41-13 in week one, but senior quarterback Tom Savage and Devin Street could pose some problems for the Irish in due time.

Tim- Notre Dame, 24-7.  We should never count Pitt out after what happened last year, but this one does not look to be much of a challenge for an Irish team coming off of three straight victories. Adjusting to Pitt’s offense may take some time after facing two consecutive triple-option teams but look for the Irish to make a quick start just as they did against Temple, hoping to force any thoughts of glory out of Pitt’s mind.

BYU vs. Notre Dame:

Rich-Notre Dame, 27-21. BYU looked impressive in a 40-21 win over 15th-ranked Texas. Linebacker Kyle Van Noy has 22 sacks in his career as well as five picks. He sacked the Irish once last season and also earned a pick. Van Noy is the pride of the class of college linebackers this season not named CJ Mosley. Rees needs to stay away from the middle of the field, but TJ Jones provides a security blanket on the outside.

Tim- BYU, 31-28. BYU has started off strong, and the Cougars will look to capitalize on any turnovers that the Irish toss their way. Last year Tommy Rees struggled against the Cougars when he was called upon to start in place of the injured Everett Golson, and BYU had the lead entering the fourth quarter.  If Notre Dame does not establish its running game early, they may have to put too much pressure on the passing game. Coming off of a bye week, watch out for the upset as Notre Dame looks ahead to its matchup with Stanford.

Notre Dame vs. Stanford:

Rich: Notre Dame, 14-10. This is where the luck of the Irish sets in. Kevin Hogan and David Shaw lead a Cardinal team that may be the favorites to make it to the National Title besides Alabama. Barry Sanders Jr. is not a bad weapon to have in the backfield as well. Stanford has won a BCS game in each of the last three seasons, so the Irish will have to be the door stop between another trip to one of the NCAA’s most important games and a secondary bowl game for the pride of the Pac-12. The Irish secure back-to-back BCS bids with a dramatic, in-the-trenches battle.

Tim: Stanford, 28-14. With the Cardinal playing for a BCS bowl game, expect them to come out strong against an Irish team reeling from a loss to BYU the week before. Shayne Skov leads a strong Cardinal defense which may give the relatively immobile Rees some fits. Without any BCS aspirations at this point, Notre Dame can take solace in playing the role of spoiler in the Cardinal’s BCS bid, but expect Stanford to be too much for the Irish at the end of disappointing follow up season to last year’s magical run.

Rich’s Overall Record for Irish: 10-2

Tim’s Overall Record for Irish: 8-4

Rich Hidy is a sophomore and has a nice cache of low-post moves. Contact him at rhidy@nd.edu.