We are into Week 2 of college football betting and we finally get some blue blood programs on the schedule. That includes the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, who will be a member of the ACC in 2020 and open conference play by hosting the Duke Blue Devils.
The Irish are coming off an 11-win season and have conference title — and College Football Playoff — aspirations with the return of quarterback Ian Book.
We break down the NCAA football odds with our best college football picks and predictions Duke vs. Notre Dame on Saturday, September 12 with kickoff set for 2:30 p.m. ET.
Duke Blue Devils vs Notre Dame Fighting Irish betting preview
Weather
There is a chance for a few showers Saturday in South Bend. The forecast is calling for cloudy skies with about a 30 percent chance of rain around kickoff, but an 80 percent chance of thundershowers near the end of the game. There will also be an 8 mph wind blowing across the field from the south towards the north side of the field, while temperatures are expected to be in the mid-70s. Be sure to monitor the gametime conditions with our NCAA football weather info.
Injuries
Duke: Jack Wohlabaugh C (Out), Ken Torain CB (Out), Marvin Hubbard III RB (Out), Jaylen Coleman RB (Out).
Notre Dame: No injuries to report.
Find our latest NCAA football injury reports.
Betting Trend to Know
The Fighting Irish finished last season strong, winning their final six games and covering the spread in their last five. Get the latest NCAA football betting trends for Duke vs. Notre Dame.
Against the Spread (ATS) Pick
The Irish are in the midst of one of their best runs in years, with head coach Brian Kelly leading them to a 33-6 record over the last three seasons. But more importantly for our purposes, the Golden Domers have been golden when it comes to turning a profit, posting a 24-14-1 record (63.2 percent) against the spread over that stretch.
Obviously, Book returning for his final season of eligibility is one of the big reasons for the Irish’s optimism heading into 2020. He led Notre Dame to the playoffs in 2018, and despite struggling in the first half of last season, he still finished with 3,034 passing yards and 34 touchdowns, compared to just six interceptions.
Book now has the pleasure of working behind an offensive line that returns six players, including three seniors. While he has to work in a bunch of new offensive weapons, there are plenty of talented players ready to step up.
On the other side, Duke is coming off a 5-7 season and went just 3-6 ATS against ACC opponents last season. But David Cutcliffe returns for his 13th season and hopes to see some improvement with Clemson graduate transfer Chase Brice now his starting quarterback.
Duke is returning a lot of players on both sides of the ball, but have just lost their starting center for the foreseeable future and just lack the playmakers on the outside to compete with the talented Irish defense. While the Blue Devils have a solid D, the Irish’s elite offensive line will eventually wear them out, creating some big holes for the run game and allowing them cover.
PREDICTION: Notre Dame -19.5 (-110)
Over/Under Pick
The Irish owned one of the nation’s best defenses last season, ranking 14th in yards allowed per game (321.5) against FBS opponents, and limiting them to 17.9 points per contest. While they lost some key pieces to the NFL, their tackle and sack leader from last year, Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, is back so that defense has a chance to be just as strong in 2020. The secondary will be a strength once again, after bringing in a pair of graduate transfers in Nick McCloud and Isaiah Pryor, which should make life tough on Brice.
While Brice has the experience of playing with a championship Clemson squad, he will quickly find out he was spoiled with the Tigers weapons. He should boost an offense that scored just 23.5 points per game last season, but his leading receiver this year, Jalon Calhoun, averaged just 9.1 yards per reception.
The Blue Devils get top RB Deon Jackson back, although much of their running production came from former QB Quentin Harris. But Cutcliff went out and got Brice for a reason – to throw the ball. Unfortunately, that plays right into the strength of the Irish defense. It might take the Blue Devils time to find their identity on offense, giving this one a good chance of staying Under.
PREDICTION: Under 53.5 (-110)
Team Total Pick
While Cutcliff has a way with quarterbacks, it will be interesting to see if he had enough time with Brice in their limited workouts this offseason to have his full impact. While Brice certainly is an upgrade at quarterback for the Blue Devils, he just doesn’t have the skill players available at his disposal to properly attack what should be a strong Irish secondary. And while Notre Dame had some trouble stopping the run last year, the Blue Devils will be working with almost an entirely new offensive line. The Irish defensive front might be able to get by on talent alone and should be able to keep the Blue Devils under their team total.
PREDICTION: Duke Team Total Under 16.5 (-106)
Duke vs Notre Dame betting card
- Notre Dame -19.5 (-110)
- Under 53.5
- Duke Team Total Under 16.5 (-106)
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Use our NCAA parlay calculator to create your own parlays and see their potential payouts.
Where can I bet on college football?
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