Despite admittedly not being a huge Notre Dame Fighting Irish fan (I’ve been known to disparage Rudy in unspeakable ways), it felt fantastic to see one of the sport’s most storied programs take the field last Saturday in a 27-13 win against the Duke Blue Devils.
Welcome back, college football.
The Irish should be in for an easier challenge on Saturday when college football bettors get to watch the South Florida Bulls make their way to South Bend.
Here’s a look at our best NCAA football picks and predictions for South Florida vs. Notre Dame on Saturday, September 19 at Notre Dame Stadium. The game is scheduled to get underway at 2:30 p.m. ET.
South Florida Bulls vs Notre Dame Fighting Irish betting preview
Weather
It’s going to be nice in South Bend on Saturday, and weather should not be factor. According to my personal Jenks 3000 Doppler (read: Dark Sky), we’re looking at a high of 64 with very light winds out of the east-southeast. Be sure to monitor the gametime conditions with our NCAA football weather info.
Key Injuries
South Florida: Jared Sackett K (ques), Keyon Helton LB (ques), Kevin Kegler DT (ques), Demetris Harris OL (ques), Brad Cecil OL (ques), Cade Fortin QB (ques), TJ Robinson DB (out), Thomas Nance TE (out), Josh Berry TB (out), Eugene Bowman DB (out), John Waller DT (out), Jernard Phillips WR (out)
Notre Dame: Braden Lenzy WR (prob), Kyle Hamilton DB (ques)
Find our latest NCAA football injury reports.
Betting Trend to Know
South Florida’s last five games have all hit the Under. Find more NCAA football betting trends for South Florida vs. Notre Dame.
Against the Spread (ATS) Pick
Notre Dame got off to a slow start against an outmatched Duke squad on Saturday but eventually pulled away for an easy victory. Ian Book struggled to develop chemistry with his receivers in the early going, with the Irish’s first three drives resulting in a paltry five yards on nine plays. Book eventually got into more of a rhythm, and it helped to have Kyren Williams in the backfield. The sophomore racked up 112 yards on the ground, with two touchdowns, and caught two passes for 93 yards.
South Florida is a run-first team, and they were successful against The Citadel, gashing the Bulldogs for 302 yards. The Bulls are still trying to decide on a starting quarterback, and until they do, you’ll see a rotation of Jordan McCloud and Noah Johnson.
The Irish are great in this spot at home, and this line will continue to move in Notre Dame’s direction because they’re such a publicly-bet team. The Bulls will need to complete a few throws because the Irish are fast and will focus on shutting down the run. However, South Florida returns three starting offensive linemen this week, and I think they can slow down this game enough to keep it within the number.
PREDICTION: South Florida +26 (-110)
Over/Under Pick
The end of the Charlie Strong era in South Florida has given way to a Bulls team that likes to focus on the ground game because they don’t have a dynamic quarterback. Book didn’t quite put it all together for Notre Dame against Duke, and if he continues to rely on Williams, there should be fewer points than expected. As mentioned above, South Florida’s last five games have all gone Under.
PREDICTION: Under 52.5 (-110)
Team total pick
The Bulls scored only seven points in the second half of last week’s game, which makes me a little nervous. Still, they’re getting a huge upgrade on their offensive line and I think they may be undervalued when it comes to points scored.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go curse Rudy.
PREDICTION: South Florida team total Over 13.5 (+106)
South Florida vs Notre Dame betting card
- South Florida +26 (-110)
- Under 52.5 (-110)
- South Florida team total Over 13.5 (+106)
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Use our NCAA parlay calculator to create your own parlays and see their potential payouts.
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