No. 7 Stanford (4-0) at No. 8 Notre Dame (4-0)

When: 4:30 p.m. Saturday Where: South Bend, Ind.

TV/Radio: !38 /1050 Story lines: Each team badly needs a win over a strong opponent to bolster its credentials for the postseason. Stanford would love to get its ground game back on track as it pursues its fourth straight win over Notre Dame and its eighth in the past 10 years. The Irish are banking on a QB, Ian Book, making just the third start of his career.

Injuries: Stanford — S Ben Edwards (undisclosed), LB Casey Toohill (arm), OL Foster Sarell (leg), WR Connor Wedington (und.) and LB Curtis Robinson (und.) are out. Notre Dame — LB Jeremiah OwusuKoramoah (foot), DL Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa (foot) and CB Shaun Crawford (knee) are out. TE Cole Kmet (ankle) is probable.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

Stanford cornerback Paulson Adebo, a redshirt freshman, ranks No. 1 in the country in pass breakups with 11. He also has 22 tackles, tied for third on the team.

Notre Dame, like Stanford, has tall receivers, like 6-foot-4 Miles Boykin, 6-4 Chase Claypool and a posse of fine tight ends. Book has an accurate arm but hasn’t thrown really deep. Look for the Cardinal to test him in that respect.

Jafar Armstrong and Tony Jones Jr. are the most accomplished running backs for the Irish. However, Dexter Williams returns from a four-game school suspension. He was their most highly recruited back and is their fastest.