Friday afternoon Cardinal news and notes

—Spread check: Notre Dame by 17.

—The staff over at One Foot Down makes its picks for this weekend’s ACC games, and all of them like Notre Dame to take care of Louisville.

—The weather looks like it will be crisp and windy in South Bend on Saturday afternoon.

—Jaire Alexander might already be the best corner in the NFL.

—The 13th-ranked U of L women’s soccer team took a 2-1 road loss to No. 11 Virginia on Thursday night.

—Louisville has offered top 100 LB Jaylen Sneed (2022) from Hilton Head Island, SC.

—Every writer over at Irish Illustrated likes Notre Dame over Louisville by a lot on Saturday.

KEVIN SINCLAIR

Offensively, look for Notre Dame to dominate upfront, especially on the edge where Louisville lacks size. Liam Eichenberg, Robert Hainsey, and the Irish tight ends will exploit this gap to great benefit.

Look for the Irish to soften up the Louisville front early on the ground, Ian Book periodically earning success through the air as the safeties wear down. The Cardinals have some effective blitz schemes that will cause panic at times, but look for Book & Co. to orchestrate a high-scoring affair lead by a dominance in the trenches.

The Louisville offense is quite sturdy upfront with a quarterback who can hurt you on the ground. But Clark Lea knows this, proving to improve the containment issues of the previous weekend, limiting Louisville’s rushing yardage while giving up a few big plays through the air.

It won’t be enough to keep the Irish from a wide margin victory lead by another big night for the Notre Dame rushing attack.

Notre Dame 48 Louisville 17

—The CJ has three keys to success for U of L in South Bend.

—The four writers over at Irish Breakdown all like Notre Dame over the Cards comfortably on Saturday.

—What a state.

—The Action Network says if you’re betting on tomorrow’s game, expect a Notre Dame blowout.

—Slap the Sign identifies three Notre Dame players to watch against Louisville.

—The hype for U of L grad transfer Carlik Jones continues to mount.

Jones plans to pick up where he left off with the Highlanders simply by being himself.The 6-foot-1, 185-pound guard will impact the team in multiple ways, from scoring and finding his teammates to procuring rebounds and steals. He’s a gifted clutch shooter who wants the ball in his hands with a game on the line.

“He’s not scared of the moment. If anything, he embraces the moment. He’s one of the toughest kids I’ve ever coached, and one of the best as far as being able to communicate what’s happening on and off the floor,” said Corey Tucker, one of Jones’ former AAU coaches.

Tucker watched Jones transition from high school to college basketball and was a sounding board when he mulled grad transfer destinations. When asked to identify areas Jones could improve, Tucker said the guard is a great decision-maker most of the time but sometimes tries to shoulder “a little bit too much” instead of trusting his teammates.

He’ll have considerable assistance at Louisville, including backcourt mate David Johnson, but Williams said Jones is more than just a scorer. He’s a dynamic playmaker who knows how to handle ball screens.

“He’s going to show you guys a lot this year. I think everybody will like Carlik,” Williams said.

—Matt McGavic of Louisville Report is taking Notre Dame over the Cards by 17.

—Louisville checks in at No. 11 in this week’s ACC power rankings from Streaking the Lawn.

—South Bend Bonnafon forever.

—Happy birthday to former Card and WNBA All-Rookie Team honoree Jazmine Jones.

—Irish Insider has Notre Dame-Louisville preview podcast for your ears, but not your soul.

—Miss this dude already.

—For the first time since early September, Notre Dame has had no positive Covid tests within its football program.

—USA Today Sportsbook Wire is going with the Irish, 40-21.

—The U of L defense still finds itself with plenty to prove in 2020.

—And finally, beat Notre Dame.