Get a $500 Bonus on a $500 Deposit at BetUS!

Michigan State at Notre Dame Football Picks & Predictions

Written by Jimmy Boyd

mich st notre dame 91709 The Notre Dame Fighting Irish head back home following a heart-breaking loss to Michigan to take on the Michigan State Spartans, who are coming off a tough-to-swallow loss of their own. College football odds makers think the Irish will be the team to respond this week, listing Notre Dame as a 10-point favorite with the total set at 55.

Week 3 NCAA football betting lines are up and ready for action! Bet your football picks at Bookmaker and get a special 20% cash sign up bonus!

Michigan State got a snake bite from the MAC’s Central Michigan Chippewas last week. Central Michigan used an onside kick and benefited from a late penalty to knock off the Spartans 29-27. The Spartans enter their annual showdown with Notre Dame at 1-1. The Irish also enter at 1-1 after falling 38-34 in the Big House last Saturday. Notre Dame will be trying to avenge back-to-back double digit losses to the Spartans to build on its 44-27-1 lead in the all-time series.

The offense hasn’t been a problem for Michigan State through the season’s first two weeks. The Spartans are averaging 35.5 points per game and 404.5 yards of total offense per contest and have yet to commit a turnover. Both Kirk Cousins ad Keith Nichol have split time at the quarterback spot. Cousins has been more impressive in my book, completing nearly 66 percent of his passes for 347 yards and four scores. Nichol’s has thrown three touchdown passes but has only completed 46.2 percent of his passes. Blair White is the team’s No. 1 receiver, entering Saturday’s contest with 16 catches for 267 yards and two scores. In recent years, the Spartans have been known for their ground attack. Caulton Ray has been the feature back this season with 122 yards and a touchdown on his resume.

The Spartan defense figures to get a challenge from an explosive Notre Dame offense this week. For Michigan State to slow down Jimmy Clausen and company, it is going to need a big game from Greg Jones. In two games, Jones has racked up 29 tackles, including four for loss, and 1.5 sacks. Michigan State could benefit from coming up with a few takeaways as well. The Spartans only have one thus far this season. Another key will be the Spartan’s red zone defense. So far they have been pushovers, allowing opponents to score on all 10 of their red zone trips. If you like the Spartans to defeat the Irish for a third straight season, bet Michigan State at +10 at Bookmaker.

Notre Dame’s offense has been impressive through the first two games of the season, scoring 34.5 points and gaining 500 yards per contest. The Irish have done most of their damage through the air with quarterback Jimmy Clausen completing 40 of 60 passes for 651 yards and seven touchdowns. He is yet to throw a pick as well. Golden Tate and Michael Floyd have been Clausen’s two favorite targets. Floyd leads the receiving corps with 12 grabs, but Floyd leads the unit in yards, racking up 320 yards and four touchdowns. The running game has provided just enough balance with Armando Allen leading the way with 211 yards and a pair of scores. Notre Dame put up big offensive numbers against Michigan, but it was not able to come up with enough stops to preserve a win.

So far, it has been a tale of two games for the Irish defense. The unit looked better than advertised when it shut out a high-powered Nevada offense in Week 1, but it looked like last year’s defense against Michigan. Perhaps fatigue was an issue as the Irish allowed Michigan to march for two fourth quarter scores. The brief sigh of relief that Charlie Weis enjoyed after the opener was short lived. He better get the job done this week or Notre Dame nation will be ready to string him up. If you like the Irish to bounce back strong, bet Notre Dame at -10 at Bookmaker.

*Note: World Champion Handicapper Jimmy Boyd’s NCAA football picks are ready to dominate the books this Saturday. Make sure you’re playing who Jimmy’s playing for a big day in the black.

If you liked this article, you may also be interested in:

Written by Jimmy Boyd on September 17, 2009 · Filed Under College Football Betting Articles, News & Previews

Comments

Got something to say?