Miami (OH) vs Notre Dame NCAAF Picks, Predictions, and Best Bets: Don't Expect Another Beatdown

Notre Dame is fresh off a 66-7 pummeling of Purdue last weekend but we're not so sure we're getting a similar scoreline against Miami (OH) on Saturday. Find out why in our CFB picks below.

Douglas Farmer - Betting Analyst at Covers
Douglas Farmer • Betting Analyst
Sep 21, 2024 • 12:19 ET • 4 min read
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This article contains predictions for an old game!

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Marcus Freeman Notre Dame Fighting Irish college football
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The most up-and-down team of this fresh college football campaign returns home this weekend, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish trying to get further removed from their Week 2 upset loss when they host the Miami (OH) RedHawks.

The Irish should certainly snag a second straight win in this game, but my Miami (OH) vs. Notre Dame predictions don't expect them to cover this massive 28-point spread. My college football picks are leaning on the road underdog to cover when the teams take the field this afternoon.

Miami (OH) vs Notre Dame prediction

My best bet
Miami (OH) +28 (-110 at BetMGM)

My analysis
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish ran up the score on Purdue a week ago, winning 66-7 on the road. Included in that audacious point tally: a touchdown run from the third-string quarterback, a 70-yard touchdown rush while trying to run out the clock before halftime, and a 34-yard interception return for a touchdown by a reserve defensive lineman.

If trying to forecast future events, it may be more honest to consider that a 45-7 win is still a blowout by all means, but not one deserving as much credit as it has gotten in making numbers of any variety.

In that blowout, the Irish lost two starting offensive linemen in center Ashton Craig and right guard Billy Schrauth. They are replaced by veterans with starting experience, Pat Coogan at center and Rocco Spindler at right guard, but Coogan has never started at center, and that is thus a new fulcrum next to Spindler.

That was all known when this market opened with Notre Dame favored by 27 points on Sunday, the number pushing up to -28.5 at some books. Some advanced metrics would argue this game should be north of -30, so it can be assumed these two injuries have been baked into this spread.

An argument can be made they should have been baked in further when realizing the Irish have had little success throwing the ball this season, very much reliant on the run.

Admittedly, the Miami (OH) RedHawks are outright bad against the run, credited with 24 missed tackles last week against Cincinnati and giving up a run of 40 yards and another of 60 yards, but if those moments are met by linebackers at the line of scrimmage because Coogan and Spindler are not perfectly on point, then Notre Dame’s offense will slow.

Lastly, RedHawks head coach Chuck Martin is universally respected by just about every coach in the country aside from Kalen DeBoer. Martin coached at Notre Dame for four years a decade ago. Irish head coach Marcus Freeman may never have coached against Martin, but he is still unlikely to run up the score against him. That alone makes this four-touchdown spread more feasible for the road underdogs to cover.

Miami (OH) vs Notre Dame same-game parlay (SGP)

Miami (OH) +27.5

Notre Dame team total Over 34.5

Notre Dame first-half moneyline

Notre Dame moneyline

To be completely honest, that payout was a surprise. This SGP is rather heavily correlated. This payout should not be so high. Hello, value.

The value comes from betting Notre Dame to score yet fail to cover. A 35-7 result fails to get that thought home, given BetMGM skews the spreads within SGPs, but a 35-10 result would be just fine.

Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.

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Miami (OH) vs Notre Dame odds

Miami (OH) vs Notre Dame live odds

Miami (OH) vs Notre Dame opening odds

  • Spread: Miami (OH) +26.5 | Notre Dame -26.5
  • Moneyline: Miami (OH) +2,000 | Notre Dame -10,000
  • Over/Under: Over 44.5 | Under 44.5

Odds courtesy of BetMGM.

Miami (OH) vs Notre Dame spread and Over/Under analysis

  • The first lines on Sunday set this number at Notre Dame by 27, climbing to -28 on Monday.

  • The total opened at 43.5 before climbing momentarily to 44.5, some books clinging to that number and others returning to 43.5.

  • Notre Dame has cashed the Under in two of its three games this season, while both Miami (OH) tilts in 2024 went Under their totals.

Miami (OH) vs Notre Dame betting trend to know

In his 2+ seasons as head coach, Marcus Freeman has gone just 7-6 ATS at home, compared to 12-5 everywhere else. Find more college football betting trends for Miami (OH) vs. Notre Dame.

Miami (OH) vs Notre Dame game info

Location: Notre Dame Stadium, Notre Dame, IN
Date: Saturday, 9-21, 2024
Kickoff: 3:30 p.m. ET
TV: NBC/Peacock

Miami (OH) vs Notre Dame latest injuries

Miami (OH) vs Notre Dame weather

Monitor gametime conditions with our College football weather info.

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Douglas Farmer
Betting Analyst

Douglas Farmer spends his days thinking about college football and his nights thinking about the NBA. His betting habits and coverage follow that same pattern. He covered Notre Dame football for various outlets from 2008 to 2024, most notably spending eight seasons as NBC Sports’ beat writer on the Irish. That was also when his gambling focus took off. Knowing there were veteran beat writers with three decades more experience than he had, Douglas found his niche by best recognizing Notre Dame’s standing in each year’s national landscape, a complex tapestry most easily understood and remembered via betting odds.

In 2021, that interest created a freelance opportunity with Covers, a role that eventually led to Douglas joining the company full-time in 2023. In the fall, Douglas will place five or six dozen bets each week, a disproportionate amount via BetRivers because the operator tends to have lines slightly different than the rest of the market. The same can be said of Circa Sports’ futures markets.

While Douglas is an avid NBA fan and covers the league throughout the year, the vast majority of his bets are on college football, because that is the biggest key to sports betting: Know what you do not know.

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