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Nevada at Notre Dame Football Odds & Predictions

Written by Jimmy Boyd

nev nd 83109 The Nevada Wolfpack head to South Bend, Indiana this Saturday to take on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the first ever meeting between the two schools. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 pm EST with the game being broadcast on NBC. Both of these teams, led by highly skilled quarterbacks, enter the season facing high expectations, but NCAA football odds makers have the Irish coming out on top in Week 1, listing Notre Dame as the 14.5-point favorite with the total set at 61.5.

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Notre Dame is expected to put a high-powered offense on the field this season with coach Charlie Weis calling the plays and QB Jimmy Clausen executing them. They should have an opportunity to put up some big offensive numbers against the Wolfpack this week as Nevada put the worst pass defense in the country on the field last season, allowing 311.6 yards per game. That means we should see some big plays from Clausen to star wide receiver Golden Tate over the top. The Irish cannot afford negative media that would come along with a loss or even a tight game so Weis can’t worry about showing too much here. He needs to try to run up the score.

While the Irish figure to be able to score, they also figure to have their work cut out for themselves on defense in trying to stop coach Chris Ault’s pistol offense, led by quarterback Colin Kaepernick. The talented Wolfpack QB threw for 2,849 yards last season and ran for another 1,130. In all, he tallied 39 touchdowns. The Nortre Dame defense is expected to be more aggressive this season, but it will have to be careful not to give up the big play. All eyes will be on linebacker Manti Te’o, who is the most heralded defensive recruit the Irish have had in some time. If you like the Irish to win this one and cover the spread in the process, bet Notre Dame at -14.5 at BetUS.

If Nevada is going to pull off the big upset, it’s going to have to do so with its high powered offense. Kaepernick and company are going to have to try to make this one a good old fashioned shootout. If Notre Dame strikes, it will be Nevada’s job to keep striking back. Nevada has a very unique offense that is difficult to prepare for and it has a number of weapons at its disposal. Nevada returns multiple players that have rushed for more than 1,000 yards in a season with tailbacks Vai Taua and Luke Lippincott leading the way. And QB Colin Kaepernick rushed for over 1,000 yards last season. I don’t expect Notre Dame to be able to shut this unit down so it will be crucial that the Wolfpack don’t turn the ball over.

Defensively, Nevada must show improvement in defending the pass and they figure to get a major test from Notre Dame through the air this week. The Pack are pretty good up front with Kevin Basped and Dontay Moch. Basped came up with 18.5 tackles for loss as a sophomore. It is a must that he gets some heat on Clausen to give the back line a fighting chance. If you like the Wolfpack to keep this one within the number, bet Nevada at +14.5 at BetUS.

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