The Surprise X-Factor for Notre Dame Against Miami

Sunday's game between Notre Dame and Miami (FL) could very well be the most-viewed college football game this week.

Why? Three reasons.

1. The rich history and hatred between the two programs.

2. There are no NFL games this week, so Sunday night's game from Florida -- which also happens to feature a pair of top 10 teams -- should kill it on the ratings front.

3. It's Labor Day Weekend. most working people don't have to go to work the next day, and they also don't have to worry about getting their kids ready for school the following day. Everyone in the household can stay up late and watch the game from start to finish.

But enough about the ratings and significance of the game. Let's focus on the players, and in this case, the key player for Notre Dame coming away with a victory. This might surprise you, but it's the kicker. Yes, you read that right. North Carolina transfer Noah Burnette is the key to the Fighting Irish beating the Hurricanes.

CJ Carr played well in Notre Dame's Spring Game, but no one really knows what to expect from the redshirt-freshman in his first career college start. Don't be surprised if Notre Dame moves the ball but has a hard time finding the end zone. Same thing for Miami.

Carson Beck was certainly a great pickup via the transfer portal for the Hurricanes, but he's not Cam Ward. So, similar to the Fighting Irish, expect the Hurricanes to move the ball but struggle to come away with six.

So, where does that leave us? With a bunch of field goal attempts, potentially. And Burnette has made more than his fair share over the years. As a junior two years ago, Burnette made 19 of his 20 kicks, and even though he took a step back last season after hitting on only 15 of his 21 field goal attempts, Burnette still connected over 70% of the time.

Not to mention, Burnette had his best game last year in UNC's season opener when he made all four of his kicks, including a career-long of 52, against Minnesota in a 19-17 victory.