Stanford vs. Notre Dame preview: Irish look to avenge 2011 loss

The unbeaten Notre Dame Fighting Irish will host Stanford on Saturday. When the teams met last season, Andrew Luck threw for four touchdowns and Stepfan Taylor ran for 118 yards against the Notre Dame defense.

The No. 5 Irish will not have to worry about Luck this season, but Taylor is still very much in the picture. The senior is averaging 111 rushing yards per game.

But Notre Dame's defense is much improved. Through five games, it has given up only three touchdowns and averaged 7.8 points allowed per game. That is second-best in the FBS, trailing only Alabama.

The No. 17 Stanford Cardinal have already knocked off one big-time opponent this season when they upset USC on Sept. 15. USC was No. 2 until that loss.

Stanford and Notre Dame have faced off in every season since 1997, during which time the Irish hold a 9-6 series advantage. Still, Stanford has won in each of the last three meetings.

Saturday's game will kick off at 3:30 p.m. ET.