Notre Dame football's Week 6 matchup has them once again facing another ranked opponent in the Louisville Cardinals. This will be the second week in a row that the No. 10 Fighting Irish are away from home and facing an ACC opponent. It will also be their third consecutive week facing a ranked opponent.

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Coming off the heels of a last-second loss to Ohio State, Notre Dame had to follow that up with a tough Duke team in Durham, NC. Going into that game last week, everyone probably didn't expect much from the then No. 17 Blue Devils as it was just Duke. But the Fighting Irish found out quickly that Mike Elko's Duke team was for real.

It took a Sam Hartman fourth-down run followed by an Audric Estime touchdown run to seal the deal, but in a much-needed win over another ranked opponent in the Blue Devils, Notre Dame kept their College Football Playoff hopes alive with a beating heartbeat. But now Louisville is up, who is a very sneaky 5-0. However, that could only bode well for Notre Dame. The more top-25 opponents they face—and they keep winning themselves—the more they keep their playoff chances alive, considering that voters could value that and continue moving them up the polls.

The Cardinals, under new head coach Jeff Brohm, have had some close games this year against Georgia Tech to start the year and even last week's game against NC State. This has all the makings of another challenging week for the Fighting Irish. Let's get into some Notre Dame football Week 6 predictions.

4. Audric Estime just barely gets his usual 100 yards rushing

Audric Estime is one of the most productive running backs in the country as he leads the nation in rushing yards and ranks ninth in yards per game. That is all due in part to Notre Dame football's extremely talented offensive line this season. However, over the last two games, the Fighting Irish have faced two really tough defensive teams in Ohio State and Duke that have limited their effectiveness running the football.

They will now face a similar test in an athletic Louisville defense. The Cardinals have allowed 100 yards or more rushing just twice this season and are limiting their last four opponents to just 93.3 yards per game on the ground at just 3.1 yards per attempt, according to Bryan Driskell at Sports Illustrated. Estime has over 100 yards in every game but three, but in his last two, he's only averaged 75.5 yards. It's time for Estime to get back to his 100-yard ways, although it won't be easy, and he might just barely get there.

3. Sam Hartman gets his completion percentage back up, throws for at least one touchdown

Notre Dame football doesn't win their game last weekend if not for Sam Hartman, albeit with his legs, running for a first down on a 4th-and-16 in the last few minutes of the game. But where has Hartman and the Notre Dame passing attack been?

Again, these have been some really tough defenses that the Fighting Irish have faced in the last two weeks, which has kept Hartman with a 59-percent completion percentage and just one touchdown pass. If they're facing yet another tough run defense against the Louisville football team, then this might be a good game for Hartman to sling the ball.

2. Notre Dame football stays turnover-free against Louisville

One of the more impressive statistics for Notre Dame this season has been their plus-5 turnover margin, ranking 14th best in the country, per Team Rankings. As an offense, they only have two fumbles, and Hartman has yet to throw an interception. Notre Dame stays mistake-free once again against the Louisville football team.

1. Notre Dame wins in a back-and-forth game, pulling away late

As good as Notre Dame is, there's still a lot to prove with this team. They let Ohio State get away from them, and they likewise almost let Duke beat them. This is another big test, especially one that will once again be on the road. This is a sneaky good Louisville football team that not many are talking about. It might be scary again entering the fourth quarter where things could be tied up or the Cardinals could have a lead. Then Notre Dame pulls away late, thanks to Hartman coming through with his arm instead of his legs this time. Notre Dame wins 24-19.