College Football Week 7 Top Games to Bet On

Miami At Notre Dame College Football ATS Picks

Written by on October 27, 2016

The Miami Hurricanes and Notre Dame Fighting Irish will both look to snap their respective losing streaks when they square off in a Week 9 matchup that could have huge postseason implications for both teams. Let’s find out which team is offering the most value in this contest as well as the updated college football spreads.

A Closer Look At The Hurricanes At Fighting Irish College Football ATS Picks

When: Saturday, October 29, 2016 at 3:30 PM ET Where: Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, Indiana TV: NBC Betting Odds: Notre Dame -1 / Total: 58.5

Why Bet Miami at +1

The Miami Hurricanes are statistically better on both sides of the ball. Miami (4-3 SU, 4-3 ATS) has lost three straight and got completely smacked around in their stunning 37-16 blowout loss against high-scoring Virginia Tech last weekend while covering the college football betting line as 3.5-point favorites. Quarterback Brad Kaaya completed 23-of-38 passes for 323 yards and two touchdowns, but running back Joseph Yearby was limited to just 59 yards on nine carries. For the season, Kaaya has passed for 1,696 yards while tossing 12 TD passes and five interceptions while running back Mark Walton has rushed for a team-high 604 yards and eight touchdowns. The Canes are averaging 33.7 points per game (42nd) while limiting the opposition to just 17.2 points per game defensively to rank 12th nationally in points allowed.

Why Bet Notre Dame at -1

The Fighting Irish are completely desperate and playing at home. Notre Dame (2-5 SU, 2-5 ATS) have lost two straight and four of their last five games and were on the wrong end of a humbling 17-10 loss against Stanford two weeks ago while failing to cover the spread as 4.5-point underdogs. Dual-threat quarterback DeShone Kizer completed 14-of-26 passes for 154 yards, but tossed two costly interceptions in the loss. Kizer also rushed for a team-high 83 yards and one score while wideout Torii Hunter caught four passes for 70 yards. For the season, Kizer has thrown for 1,775 yards with 14 touchdowns and seven interceptions. The Irish average 30.2 points per game (67th) while allowing 27.7 points per game defensively to rank 68th nationally.

Expert Prediction and Pick

I’m going to get right to the point by saying that there is no way I can bring myself to back a Notre Dame team that has managed to score all of 13 points over its last two games and will face a rock-solid defense in the form of the Miami Hurricanes. Miami is 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games following a bye week while Notre Dame has gone 1-4 SU and ATS over its last five games. The Fighting Irish have a modest rushing attack and not many playmakers on offense and that should spell doom against a Hurricanes team that has a strong-armed quarterback and stingy defense. Miami wins outright to cover the spread as a slight road dog.

My Pick: Miami 27 Notre Dame 21