The Pittsburgh Panthers (+21) are heading west to visit the No. 5 Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Notre Dame Stadium. NBC will televise the action and this crucial daytime game is scheduled to start at 2:30 p.m. ET.
Pittsburgh Panthers vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish Betting Preview
Pittsburgh is a big road underdog here and is currently getting 21 points from bookmakers. It appears that there should be some decent live betting possibilities in this contest, and bookmakers haven’t determined what the game’s over/under (O/U) will be yet.
The game’s line opened at -21, but has recently shifted.
The Panthers are down 0.7 units so far in 2018 and 2-4 against the spread (ATS). The team has posted an O/U record of 3-2. The surprising Fighting Irish are up 5.3 units this season. The team is 4-2 ATS and has an even O/U record of 3-3.
The Panthers are 3-3 straight up (SU) in 2018 while the Fighting Irish are 6-0 SU.
The Panthers just recorded a 44-37 win over Syracuse last week. Kenny Pickett completed just 11-of-20 passes for 137 yards, along with one TD and an interception. Qadree Ollison (192 yards on 24 rush attempts, one TD) and Darrin Hall (107 yards on 17 carries, two TDs) spearheaded the ground attack in the win while Ollison (two receptions, 15 yards) and Shocky Jacques-Louis (two catches, 16 yards) handled the receiving duties.
The Notre Dame Irish just picked up a blowout 45-23 win over Virginia Tech. The team’s defense allowed the Hokies to pass for 309 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 132 yards. Damon Hazelton had a good outing in the loss, recording 131 yards on 12 catches for Virginia Tech. For Notre Dame, Ian Book completed 25-of-35 passes for 271 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Dexter Williams (178 yards on 17 rush attempts, three TDs) mounted the ground attack in the win as Miles Boykin (eight receptions, 117 yards, two TDs) and Alize Mack (six catches, 39 yards) led the pass-catching attack.
Pittsburgh’s run the ball on 62.3 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Notre Dame has a rush percentage of 59.0 percent. The Panthers have produced 204 rush yards per game and have 12 scores via handoffs this year. The Irish are totaling 196 rushing yards per game and have 16 total rush TDs.
It appears that the Irish should hold an advantage along both the offensive and defensive fronts, as their offensive line has yielded just 10 sacks while the D-line has registered 15 sacks. The Panthers O-line has given up 13 sacks and their defense has sacked opposing QBs on just 11 occasions.
The Panthers offense has tallied 149 yards/game in the air overall and has six passing scores so far. The Irish have produced 246 pass yards per outing and have 10 total pass TDs.
Pittsburgh has let opponents run for an average of 197 yards and pass for 224 yards per game. The Notre Dame defense has given up 229.5 yards per game to opposing passers and 127.8 yards per game on the ground. The Irish are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of only 4.13 to opponents, while the Panthers have given up a 6.70 ANY/A.
Offensively, Pickett is up to 717 passing yards on the year. He’s completed 61 percent of his 116 attempts with five scores through the air and four interceptions. He’s got a 4.33 adjusted net yards per pass attempt, including 4.06 over the last two outings.
We expect the Panthers to control tempo by getting the ball into the hands of their running backs. Qadree Ollison (547 rush yards, five rush TDs) and Darrin Hall (270 rush yards, four rush TDs) have been significant focal points in the Pittsburgh offensive scheme.
Ian Book has connected on 53-of-72 passes for 609 yards, five TDs and one INT for Notre Dame. His ANY/A stands at 8.65 for the season and 8.51 over his last two outings.
The Irish also like to rely on their backfield. In addition to Dexter Williams (zero receiving yards), Miles Boykin (zero rush yards, 284 receiving yards, two receiving TDs) and Chris Finke (zero rush yards, 213 receiving yards, one TD) have seen plenty of touches recently.
RELATED: Week 7 College Football Betting Odds and Predictions
NCAA Pick: Pittsburgh Panthers vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
SU Winner – Notre Dame, ATS Winner – Pittsburgh
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Notes
Betting Notes
Pittsburgh was the underdog by 3 points in its last game and the Over/Under was 57.5. The over cashed and Pittsburgh covered in the 44-37 victory over Syracuse.
As a team, Pittsburgh has produced 5.18965517241379 yards per carry over its last three contests and 4.7 over its last two.
Notre Dame has averaged 5.4 yards per carry over its last three matchups and 5.0 over its past two.
Notre Dame has lost one fumble this season while Pittsburgh has lost six.
In its last three contests, Pittsburgh is 1-2 ATS and the over cashed in two of those three.
Notre Dame was getting 7 points in its last match and the Over/Under was set at 53.5. The over cashed and Notre Dame covered in that 45-23 win over Virginia Tech.
Over its last three contests, Notre Dame is 3-0 ATS and the over cashed in each of those three.
The Panthers offense has produced five pass plays of 40+ yards, while the Fighting Irish have accounted for four such plays.
The Pittsburgh defense has allowed six pass plays of 40 or more yards, while Notre Dame has given up two such plays.
The Pittsburgh offense has created 11 rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while Notre Dame has created 10 such runs.
The Panthers defense has allowed 16 rushing plays of 20+ yards, while the Fighting Irish have given up five such runs.
The Notre Dame defensive unit has tallied 15 sacks on the year while Pittsburgh has 11.
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