A few years ago, Michigan and Notre Dame said they were done playing. Thankfully, officials at both schools came to their senses and one of college football’s best rivalries is renewed on Sept. 1 as the No. 14 Wolverines are slight NCAAF odds road favorites over the No. 12 Irish.
Speedy Dexter Williams is the heir apparent at running back for Adams, but injuries and the failure to master the playbook have limited him. Tony Jones Jr., also bothered by injuries in ’17, is adept at catching the ball out of the backfield.
Despite losing excellent defensive coordinator Mike Elko to Texas A&M, first-year coordinator Clark Lea shouldn’t miss a step taking over for his mentor. Notre Dame’s defense has a lot of veteran guys in defensive tackle Jerry Tillery, defensive end Daelin Hayes, linebackers Te’von Coney and Drue Tranquill and cornerback Julian Love who are experienced in the system.
Placekicker Justin Yoon and punter Tyler Newsome form one of the nation’s most experienced tandems. Yoon is 42-of-52 on field goals and Newsome has a 43.8-yard career average.
Notre Dame is aiming for its first back-to-back double-digit-winning seasons since Lou Holtz was the head coach in 1992-93. The schedule is brutal for the Irish this year. They open with Michigan and end on the road against rival USC. In between, they’ll face 10 Power 5 opponents, including Stanford, Florida State, and Virginia Tech, and that’s not counting a West Coast matchup with Navy.
Michigan vs Notre Dame 2018 NCAA Football Week 1 Odds
This defense = 💯
Time to reach a HIGHER level. #GoBlue pic.twitter.com/jwAgZZT3GN — Michigan Football (@UMichFootball) 21 de agosto de 2018
- When: Sept. 1, 7:30 PM ET
- Where: Notre Dame Stadium
- TV: NBC
- Stream: NBC Sports Go
- Radio: TuneIn
- NCAA Football Week 1 Odds: Michigan -2 (Total 47.5)
Recent Head to Head (Last 10 Games)
- Record: Michigan leads 6-4
- Score: Michigan 26.00 / Notre Dame 23.60
- Rush Yards: Michigan 170.10 / Notre Dame 96.50
- Pass Attempts: Michigan 29.70 / Notre Dame 35.30
- Completion Percentage: Michigan 56.90 / Notre Dame 57.51
- Passing Yards: Michigan 220.50 / Notre Dame 233.00
- Total Yards: Michigan 390.6 / Notre Dame 329.5
- Turnovers: Michigan 2.60 / Notre Dame 2.50
Wyoming at New Mexico State NCAA Football Week 1 Odds
Why Bet on Michigan?
Led by Rashan Gary, UM should have one of the country’s best defenses. Gary will be a high first-round pick in next year’s NFL draft if he stays healthy. Gary, a junior end, and junior linebacker Devin Bush Jr. were both named to the AP preseason All-America team. Bush, the team’s leading tackler a year ago, was named as a first-team linebacker while Gary was listed as a second-team player. A 5-foot-11, 233-pounder, Bush is back as Michigan’s starting linebacker after posting 102 tackles (9 1/2 for a loss), five sacks, nine passes defended and an interception in 2017. Gary, meanwhile, posted 66 tackles (12 for a loss), six sacks and a forced fumble last season. He was a first-team All-Big Ten performer (coaches). Sports Illustrated ranked him No. 9 on its list of the top 100 players in college football for 2018. Led by Gary, Michigan’s defensive line is the strength of this football team, and the Wolverines are back to being at least eight deep up front despite the loss of Maurice Hurst. Chase Winovich is back after an outstanding 79-tackle, 8.5-sack season as a rush end. Aubrey Solomon was a surging interior player as a freshman last season. Michigan has new QB in Ole Miss transfer Shea Patterson, a former No. 1 recruit. Last year as a sophomore for the Rebels, he started the first seven games of the season until he was lost for the season due to an injury suffered against LSU. Patterson complied 166-of-260 pass attempts (63.8 percent) for 2,259 yards (322.7 per game) and 17 touchdowns with nine interceptions, rushing for seven first downs. Patterson beat out Brandon Peters and Dylan McCaffrey in Ann Arbor; QB play was largely atrocious last year for Jim Harbaugh. Patterson arrived on campus at Michigan in January, got to work right away in learning the playbook and acclimating with his teammates, and participated in all 15 practices. The NCAA eventually ruled him eligible to play right away.Why Bet on Notre Dame?
The Irish closed last season with some momentum, beating LSU in the Citrus Bowl to finish 10-3. RB Josh Adams and two first-round NFL draft pick offensive linemen are gone, but QB Brandon Wimbush is back for Brian Kelly. Wimbush still will be operating behind an offensive line with at least four future NFL starters on it. He’ll be looking downfield at two 6-foot-4 wideouts as his top receiving targets. Additionally, he — not a running back — will be the focal point of Notre Dame’s rushing attack. Wimbush is also more confident after an up-and-down 2017 season. He completed 49.5 percent of his passes, throwing 16 touchdowns to six interceptions (four in the last four games). As the Irish started 8-1, he completed 51.5 percent of his passes. Then his season crumbled on the road against Miami when he turned the ball over three times. He never came back mentally, completing 44 percent of his passes in the final four games. Ultimately, he finished the season on the bench in the bowl game.
Speedy Dexter Williams is the heir apparent at running back for Adams, but injuries and the failure to master the playbook have limited him. Tony Jones Jr., also bothered by injuries in ’17, is adept at catching the ball out of the backfield.
Despite losing excellent defensive coordinator Mike Elko to Texas A&M, first-year coordinator Clark Lea shouldn’t miss a step taking over for his mentor. Notre Dame’s defense has a lot of veteran guys in defensive tackle Jerry Tillery, defensive end Daelin Hayes, linebackers Te’von Coney and Drue Tranquill and cornerback Julian Love who are experienced in the system.
Placekicker Justin Yoon and punter Tyler Newsome form one of the nation’s most experienced tandems. Yoon is 42-of-52 on field goals and Newsome has a 43.8-yard career average.
Notre Dame is aiming for its first back-to-back double-digit-winning seasons since Lou Holtz was the head coach in 1992-93. The schedule is brutal for the Irish this year. They open with Michigan and end on the road against rival USC. In between, they’ll face 10 Power 5 opponents, including Stanford, Florida State, and Virginia Tech, and that’s not counting a West Coast matchup with Navy.
NCAA Football Betting Trends for Michigan vs Notre Dame
- Home team is 4-0 ATS in their last 4 meetings
- Underdog is 11-5 ATS in their last 16 meetings
- Wolverines are 2-6 ATS in their last 8 meetings in Notre Dame
