One winning streak is going to hit five games as Head Coach Brian Kelly and the No. 8 Notre Dame Fighting Irish face off against Coach David Shaw and the No. 7 Stanford Cardinal. The game will get underway at 7:30 p.m. ET and NBC is scheduled to have the TV rights. When these two squads met last year, Stanford emerged victorious by a final score of 38-20.
Stanford Cardinal at Notre Dame Fighting Irish Betting Preview
This Saturday pairing shows the Cardinal as the dogs and they’re currently receiving 6 points. The Cardinal are also receiving +185 moneyline odds while the Fighting Irish are -230. Should one school finds paydirt early, it will probably create a worthwhile betting scenario in-game.
The line initially opened at -4 but sharp bettors tend to be siding with the Irish.
Both of these teams have been profitable this year as the Cardinal have gained 3.0 units while the Fighting Irish are up 3.4 units.
The Cardinal have gone 4-0 straight up (SU) in 2018 while the Fighting Irish are also 4-0 SU.
The Cardinal are hoping to stay undefeated following a 38-31 win over Oregon last week where K.J. Costello completed 19-of-26 passes for 327 yards and three touchdowns. Bryce Love (89 rushing yards on 19 attempts, one TD) propelled the running attack while Kaden Smith (six receptions, 95 yards) and JJ Arcega-Whiteside (four catches, 84 yards, two TDs) handled the receiving duties in the win.
The Notre Dame Irish just earned a blowout 56-27 win over Wake Forest. The defensive unit allowed the Demon Deacons to rush for 259 yards on 61 attempts, including three rush TDs. Cade Carney had a good outing in the defeat, posting 79 rushing yards on 13 attempts for Wake Forest. For Notre Dame, Ian Book completed 25-of-34 passes for 325 yards and two touchdowns. Book (43 yards on 10 rush attempts, three TDs) mounted the running game as Alize Mack (six receptions, 61 yards) and Chris Finke (four catches, 41 yards) led all Notre Dame pass-catchers in the win.
Stanford’s run the ball on 49.1 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Notre Dame has a rush percentage of 60.5 percent. The Cardinal have run for 104 yards per game and have three scores on the ground this year. The Irish are logging 184 rushing yards per game and have 12 total rush TDs.
The Cardinal offensive scheme has logged 264 yards per game in the air overall and has 10 passing TDs so far. The Irish have produced 232 pass yards per outing and have four total pass scores.
On the defensive side of the ball, Stanford has allowed 123 rush yards and 234 pass yards per game. The Notre Dame D has given up 223.5 yards per game to opposing passers and 145.0 yards per game on the ground. Both teams allow similar adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) to opponents, as the Cardinal have given up an ANY/A of 4.24 to opposing QBs, while the Irish are allowing an ANY/A of 3.83.
Offensively, Costello is up to 842 passing yards this season, and has connected on 56-of-84 attempts with eight scores through the air and only one interception. Costello has a pristine 10.89 adjusted net yards per pass attempt overall, although that number is 8.85 over the last two games.
We expect Costello to attack all areas of the Notre Dame secondary. Kaden Smith (49 receiving yards), JJ Arcega-Whiteside (372 yards, five TDs) and Osiris St. Brown (49 yards) have all been heavily involved recently.
For the home team, Ian Book has completed 25-of-34 passes for 325 yards, two TDs and zero INTs. Book’s ANY/A stands at 10.31 for the season and 10.37 over his past two outings.
Look for a balanced approach offensively from Notre Dame in this one. Tony Jones Jr. (145 rushing yards, three rush TDs, 32 receiving yards on the year), Jafar Armstrong (199 rush yards, five rush TDs, 87 receiving yards) and Alize Mack (110 receiving yards) have each played big roles recently. The trio’s combined for 490 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns over the past two games.
Free Pick: Stanford Cardinal vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
SU Winner – Notre Dame, ATS Winner – Notre Dame
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Notes
Betting Trends
The Stanford defense has sacked opposing quarterbacks 13 times this season. Notre Dame has recorded eight sacks.
The Notre Dame offense has lost one fumble in 2018 while the Stanford offense has not lost any.
The Cardinal offense has tallied four pass plays of 40 or more yards, while the Fighting Irish have put up two such plays.
The Stanford defense has allowed two pass plays of 40+ yards, while Notre Dame has given up one such play.
The Stanford offense has created four rushing plays of 20 yards or more, while Notre Dame has created seven such runs.
The Cardinal defense has allowed seven rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while the Fighting Irish have given up three such runs.
Notre Dame was getting 6 points in its last matchup and the O/U was set at 59.5. The over cashed and Notre Dame covered in the 56-27 win over Wake Forest.
In its last three contests, Notre Dame is 1-2 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
Stanford was getting 3 points in its previous game and the Over/Under going into it was 59. The over cashed and Stanford covered in the 38-31 victory over Oregon.
Stanford has averaged 4.26744186046512 yards per rush attempt across its past three contests and 3.6 over its last two.
Notre Dame has averaged 4.7 yards per carry over its last three games and 5.5 over its past two.
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