The Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Boston College Eagles have a spirited rivalry. The two schools were powerful in the 1940s, the 1980s, the early 1990s, and the middle portion of the past decade. The two Catholic schools make this one of their more important games of the season. Underdog teams can often put up a good fight in this rivalry, but sometimes, the talent differential is big enough that energy and passion can’t keep this game close. Which scenario will prove to be true in 2017?
Details
Odds: Fighting Irish -13
Date & Time: Saturday, September 16, 3:30 PM ET
Location: Alumni Stadium, Chestnut Hill, MA
Broadcast: ESPN
Reasons To Bet On The Notre Dame Fighting Irish
This is a classic game in which the best reason to bet on one team is essentially unrelated to that team. The reason to bet on Notre Dame has everything to do with how bad Boston College is. Wake Forest is not that good a team. The Demon Deacons had to replace a very good defensive coordinator, Mike Elko, from a team that went 6-6 last year in the regular season. Wake Forest is now more of a target for other teams. The Demon Deacons will have a hard time replicating their 6-6 record. They are likely to be mediocre this year.
They routed Boston College in the Eagles’ home stadium, 34-10. Boston College doesn’t have a proven quarterback, doesn’t have a big-play wide receiver, and doesn’t have any remotely threatening offensive weapons who stretch the field and force defenses to have to make tough decisions. The Eagles lack game-changing speed and don’t have a scheme or a plan of attack which is likely to get a defense off balance.
Notre Dame does not have a great offense, but the Fighting Irish contained Georgia’s offense last week, and Georgia has far more offensive talent than Boston College. The Eagles don’t figure to score more than 14 points at best in this game, and that means a merely decent game from Notre Dame’s offense should enable the Irish to cover the spread.
Reasons To Bet On The Boston College Eagles
Much as the case for Notre Dame is based on a critical look at Boston College, the case for Boston College is based on a negative view of Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish put up a good fight against Georgia, but they didn’t look good. The game was played with a lot of spirit and determination, but Notre Dame did not reveal an offense which is likely to dominate this game against Boston College.
Notre Dame scored just one touchdown against Georgia. The Fighting Irish lacked an ability to make big plays. Quarterback Brandon Wimbush responded terribly under pressure. Advanced stats measuring quarterbacks when pressured or not pressured showed that Wimbush completed under one-third of his passes (under 33 percent) when pressured. This means that if Boston College can get slightly above average pass pressure, it can significantly limit Notre Dame’s offense and keep this game close.
Outlook
This is a bit of a tight spot for the Fighting Irish. They blew it last week at home in a spot where many fans had hoped that they would show they’ve turned the corner. It was a tight, emotional game. Are they going to let their guard down in this spot? The reality is that if they show up, there’s no reason why they should be challenged all that much. If they act like this is a cupcake game, Boston College could show up and push them.
At the end of the day, while the Irish offense isn’t good, the Boston College offense is terrible. In a game where few points will be scored, Notre Dame still has a good chance of covering the spread. A score of 20-3 or 26-7 would not be terribly surprising. Boston College barely beat NIU in Week 1 and lost by 24 at home to Wake Forest in Week 2. It’s hard to trust them here – even with a bunch of points.
Prediction: Fighting Irish -13
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