ESPN’s SP+ projects the final score between Arkansas and Notre Dame
By Jacob Moss
Published:
One of the most interesting matchups for Week 5 of the 2025 college football season is the long-awaited meeting between the Arkansas Razorbacks and the No. 22 Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
These 2 iconic brands in the sport are set to meet for the first time ever on the gridiron this Saturday at Razorback Stadium in what’s sure to be a very entertaining clash of styles.
ESPN analyst Bill Connelly’s SP+ also thinks that this game will end in very shocking fashion, as the model actually projects a 31-29 upset victory for the Hogs over the Fighting Irish.
The SP+ is a predictive model that utilizes various statistics and historical trends to generate power rankings for ESPN and project the outcome of any given matchup from week to week.
Should the Hogs actually end up coming out on top against the Irish, then it would arguably be the biggest upset of the year thus far, and would put a dagger in what remained of Notre Dame’s College Football Playoff hopes before the calendar even reaches October.
Connelly’s projections may seem to like the Razorbacks’ chances this Saturday, but actually beating last season’s national runner-up is sure to be a massive challenge on the field come game time. If Sam Pittman‘s squad wants to pull off the upset, then they’ll have to be at their very best for 4 quarters.
