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Georgia at Notre Dame NCAAF Odds, Expert Analysis & Betting Pick

Written by on September 5, 2017

NCAA Football Betting News
No. 15 Georgia and Notre Dame are two of the marquee programs in college football, but the Bulldogs somehow have never played in South Bend. That ends Saturday in a terrific early-season non-conference game that should tell us how good each team could be. Although the NCAAF odds have Notre Dame favored by -6.5 to beat Georgia in Week 2, the Bulldogs might just get another win and give many us another surprise this season.

Georgia at Notre Dame NCAAF Odds, Expert Analysis & Betting Pick

When: Saturday, Sept. 9, 7:30 PM ET Where: Notre Dame Stadium TV: NBC Stream: NBCSports.com Radio: Bulldogs Radio Network (Georgia) / 93.1 FM The Fan (Notre Dame) Opening NCAAF Odds: UND -6.5 (53.5)

Weather Forecast

  • Clear: 19°C/66°F
  • Humidity: 51%
  • Precipitation: 2%
  • Wind: 8 mph E
  • Cloud Cover: 22%
  • Type of Stadium: Open

Last Meeting

Georgia hasn’t played the Fighting Irish since beating them 17-10 in the 1981 Sugar Bowl to win the 1980 national championship. Plus, they’ve only encountered each other once in their life time.

Why Bet On Georgia?

The Dawgs beat Appalachian State 31-10 in their season opener but lost star quarterback Jacob Eason to injury. Following an injury to Eason on the third possession of the game, freshman Jake Fromm took the reins of the Bulldog offense. Fromm, a native of Warner Robins, Ga., finished with an efficient 10-of- 15 passing for 143 yards and one touchdown. He was aided by senior running backs Nick Chubb and Sony Michel, who combined for 183 yards and three scores. The Georgia defense was equally impressive in its 2017 debut. The Bulldogs held the Mountaineers to just 94 yards in the second half and 284 total on the day. Chubb had 15 rushes for 96 yards and two TDs while Michel had 16 rushes for 87 yards and 1 TD. Chubb scored the game’s first touchdown to give Georgia a 7-0 lead at the 0:39 mark in the first quarter and then ran into the end zone in the third quarter to make it 31-0. He now has 31 career rushing touchdowns, which is sixth on the school’s all-time list. True freshman Andrew Thomas started at RT. He is the first true freshman to start on the offensive line for Georgia since John Theus in 2012. Eason suffered a sprained ligament in his knee but won’t need surgery. “He will be back,” coach Kirby Smart said. “He will be back this season. We feel very fortunate. It could have been worse.” Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly said the Fighting Irish are aware of both Georgia quarterbacks from recruiting. Eason’s father Tony Eason, played wide receiver for Notre Dame in 1985-86. Fromm, a consensus 4-star prospect, also was a national recruit. “We know them both,” Kelly said. “… They’re both really good players. But, again, this will come down to featuring two outstanding running backs.”

Why Bet On Notre Dame?

The Irish looked good in a 49-16 win over Temple. Notre Dame had an historic offensive outing, as it accumulated 606 yards of total offense and over 400 yards rushing, much of which came behind the blocks of first-year players Tommy Kraemer and Robert Hainsey at tackle and veteran Alex Bars at guard, each on the right side. It’s been 25 seasons since an Irish football team has finished in the top 5 nationally in rushing (third in 1992), and Notre Dame did so only two other times in the past 60 years (fourth each in 1972 and 1968). The Irish had three players go over 100 yards, including running backs Josh Adams (161) and Dexter Williams (124) plus quarterback Brandon Wimbush (106). Wimbush made his first career start at quarterback and went 17-for-30 for 184 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Is Notre Dame a safe bet in NCAAF odds against Georgia? The Owls posted 330 total yards on offense against the Irish defense. Notre Dame senior captain Nyles Morgan was the leading tackler with eight stops followed by junior DE Te’von Coney who had six tackles and a sack. Morgan led the Irish with 94 tackles in 2016. Of the 10 teams the Irish will face that ranked in the top 40 in total defense in 2016 — a collection that included Temple (third in total defense) — Georgia (16th with 10 starters back) figures to be the most evolved of them in 2017. Notre Dame also went 6-for-6 in the red zone vs. Temple, a place that plagued the Georgia defense in 2016. Aware of this, Smart calls his defense to meet the challenge of the Notre Dame offense. “Our defensive line needs to step up,” Smart said. “They need to play well because they are going up against some big, physical guys.”

Latest NCAAF Odds Trends

  • Georgia is 4-2 ATS in the last 6 games
  • Georgia is 5-1 SU in the last 6 games
  • The total went UNDER in 15 of Georgia’s last 21 games
  • Notre Dame is 2-5 ATS in the last 7 home games.
  • Fighting Irish are 2-5 ATS in the last 7 games overall.
  • Fighting Irish are 1-5 ATS in the last 6 non-conference games.

Expert NCAAF Odds Prediction

That Eason injury changes everything in my mind. Take the Irish.
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