It’s a historic game coming into September 12th Duke at Notre Dame betting as the Irish will be playing their first contest as a member of the ACC. #10 Notre Dame will likely get the win as -1700 Moneyline favorites at home.
Of course the big question is if Notre Dame can can cover the -22 point spread? For that matter, is the ‘under’ 52 a solid wager with a 97% chance of rain moving in for the 2nd half? The Irish won this meeting 38-7 last year and that was on the road.
Duke Should Be Better In This Season’s Matchup
The Blue Devils couldn’t get much going in last season’s matchup, managing just 7 points as a +7 home underdog. There’s reasons to believe that Duke at Notre Dame betting will see a better performance from the Blue Devils – on offense at least.
Chase Brice, a dual-threat transfer from Clemson, appears to be a legitimate pro prospect under David Cutcliffe’s offense. There wasn’t much playing time available at Clemson behind projected #1 NFL draft pick Trevor Lawrence, but Brice managed 581 yards passing a year ago on 85 attempts with 4 TD and a 58.8 completion percentage. Brice also had 94 yards rushing on 14 carries. Quentin Harris threw for just 102 yards last season vs. Notre Dame.
The arrival of Brice should allow Duke more consistency on offense in the opener. RB Deon Jackson has switched to his old high school #4 for his senior year and TE Noah Gray had 51 catches a year ago. Notre Dame had a top 25 scoring defense last year though including 3rd against the pass (71st vs. rush).
Irish Too Strong In Trenches?
There’s supposed to be some rain coming in for at least the 2nd half in Saturday’s contest but that kind of leads to Notre Dame’s advantage. The Irish game plan is to run the ball in the opener as they did in last year’s meeting amassing 288 yards.
New offensive coordinator Tommy Rees has what many believe is the nation’s best offensive line to work his game plan around. Leading rusher Tony Jones, Jr. is off to the NFL as is TE Cole Kmet and leading receiver Chase Claypool who both went in the 2nd round. Ian Book is back though after a 33 TD, 6 INT season a year ago. Sophomore Kyren Williams also seems poised to make a name for himself behind that offensive line.
Duke at Notre Dame Betting Free Pick
22 points is a lot to give in an opener that follows so much offseason uncertainty. 73% of the betting public does like Notre Dame though, especially after their 38-7 shellacking last year at Duke.
The best play here looks to be on the total though. Notre Dame should be able to run at will, chewing up clock while on the other side Chase Brice has the talent to sustain drives. The 2nd half is expected to be foggy and rainy which means points will be at a premium.
Free Pick: Under 52
