Finally, the game everyone has had circled for an entire calendar year is upon us. This Saturday in South Bend, with ESPN GameDay present, the country will witness a top-five matchup between Notre Dame and Miami.

In terms of leverage and what's at stake, it's clear that Notre Dame needs the win more than Miami, given that the Irish already have a loss while the Hurricanes' record remains unblemished.

This college football season has been the ultimate example of parity, with many teams, including Notre Dame, Miami, and a handful of others, appearing dominant at times and more than vulnerable at others.

The Hurricanes enter this battle undefeated and ranked number one, but they are far from unbeatable. That isn't the question. The question is whether Notre Dame is the team to defeat them,

The case for an Irish upset

Notre Dame should benefit greatly from this game being played in South Bend and at night, with a forecast that continues to lower the expected temperatures. There's no love lost between these two programs, and I expect the Irish fans to be loud and do all they can to ratchet up the intensity of the moment.

Talent-wise, even with a rapidly increasing injury list, the Irish have by far the best roster man for man that Miami will see all season. On top of this fact, while the Hurricanes are undefeated, they have had close calls against extremely inferior opponents on multiple occasions, such as an overtime game against lowly Florida State and a three-point scare at North Carolina last week.

This game is very winnable for Notre Dame, but only if the Irish put together four quarters of strong football.

What could go wrong for Notre Dame?

While Notre Dame has a terrific chance to beat Miami, there are some concerns on the Irish side of the ledger. One of the main worries is that the Irish have not started out strong this year in a handful of games in which they have vastly superior talent.

Notre Dame cannot expect to do this and beat Miami. It will take four quarters of solid football, not just a half, to come away with a victory, a lesson painfully learned from the BYU contest.

Secondly, Notre Dame's defense has not played up to its capabilities this year. Far too often, this group has started out slowly, looked confused, and allowed the opposition to dictate the flow of the game rather than to attack and force offenses to adapt to them.

Additionally, the Irish's pass defense has looked very vulnerable in the middle of the field for most of the season, whether it be while in zone defense or man coverage. Against Miami's skill talent, this could be a recipe for disaster.

The reality of this situation, in my opinion, is that Notre Dame can easily win this game, but only if it plays its most complete game of the season, which is long overdue.