Notre Dame vs. Miami Pick
Can No. 3 Notre Dame pick up another big win over a ranked team when the Fighting Irish take on No. 7 Miami tonight at 8PM ET?
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, Notre Dame is favored on the road, as the Fighting Irish are getting odds of -3 points against the Hurricanes. The over/under total for the contest has been set at 59.5 points. Notre Dame has won four straight meetings with Miami and the Fighting Irish have covered the spread in all four wins. The public is currently putting 76 percent of the wagers on Notre Dame on the road. Tonight’s game takes place from Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida and the contest will air live on ABC.
Notre Dame is coming off a 48-37 win over Wake Forest for its seventh straight victory. The Fighting Irish are now 8-1 on the season and 7-2 against the spread. Last week’s win was the first victory the Irish had where they didn’t cover. ND is putting up 41.3 points and 495.2 yards per game on offense. The Irish have one of the top rushing attacks in the country, averaging 324.8 yards per game on the ground. Josh Adams has run for 1,191 yards and nine touchdowns to lead the team while Brandon Wimbush has run for 639 yards and 13 scores while throwing for 1,287 yards and 11 touchdowns. Defensively, ND is giving up 18.4 points and 375.6 yards per contest.
Miami is coming off a 28-10 win over Virginia Tech at home. The Hurricanes are now 8-0 on the season while posting a 4-4 record against the spread. Miami is just 2-3 against the spread at home this season. The Hurricanes have a great defense that is allowing just 17.6 points and 367.6 yards per game. However, their ground defense is allowing 170 yards per game. On offense, Miami is putting up 31.5 points and 461.6 yards per game. Malik Rosier has thrown for 2,273 yards and 19 touchdowns to lead the offense while Travis Homer has 612 rushing yards with six touchdowns.
I like what Miami has been able to do this season, but the Hurricanes are taking advantage of a weaker ACC this season. The Hurricanes have a great defense as well, but they look to be a little suspect against the run and that isn’t going to bode well for today’s matchup against a tremendous Notre Dame offense. The Irish won’t be intimidated if Miami has some early success. The Hurricanes have faced better teams already. I think that tough schedule pays off tonight on the road.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL PREDICTION: NOTRE DAME -3