Marcus Freeman warns No. 10 Notre Dame: Prepare for fight from Florida State

No. 10 Notre Dame is touted as a heavy favorite when it hosts Florida State on Saturday night in South Bend, Ind.Fighting Irish coach Marcus Freeman offered a warning to his team this week: games are not played on paper.Notre Dame (7-1) was a 26-point favorite to start the week according to oddsmakers, riding a six-game winning streak and Florida State (1-8) is mired in a five-game losing streak. Freeman said in studying the opponent there is still plenty of talent on the Seminoles’ roster that shows up on game tape.”It’s a very talented football team, and it doesn’t take long to turn on the film and realize how talented they are,” Freeman said. “They might be one of the most talented teams we face all year, and that’s just what the film tells you. Their record doesn’t reflect their talent.”They’ve had to deal with some injuries, especially at QB, and that has affected the outcome of their games. Our team must, and we will, respect the challenge Saturday night here.”Florida State entered the season with a top-10 ranking and aspirations to reach the 12-team College Football Playoff. Those dreams quickly were dashed by three straight losses to start the season, followed by a 14-9 win against Cal, followed by five straight losses.Seminoles coach Mike Norvell will try to pick his team up after their latest setback, a 35-11 loss at home against North Carolina a week ago. If outsiders are surprised by Florida State’s 1-8 record, Norvell knows the feeling.”I am shocked (about) where we are,” Norvell said this week. “It was not expected.”The offseason will bring major changes to the program, Norvell said. But for now, he wants to see which players show up and compete starting with a high-profile primetime showcase at Notre Dame.”I can tell you that there’s going to be a change in what we’ve seen from this year to this next year coming up,” he said. “But right now, my entire focus is going to be on what’s ahead for these next three games, to go be the best we can be.”

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