Fighting Irish vs Spartans NCAA Football Spread/Handicapping
I am not sure the Fighting Irish deserve that #19 ranking after wins over Navy and Purdue, the latter a nail-biter at home.
#19 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (2-0) vs #10 Michigan State Spartans (2-0)
Saturday September 15
Spartan Stadium – East Lansing, MI
8:00PM
Moneyline: Michigan State -200, Notre Dame +175 from Topbet.eu
Spread: Michigan State -3.5
O/U: 45.5
Notre Dame
The next two weeks against Michigan and Michigan State will give us a better idea and I have a feeling we might be disappointed. This week upcoming will be the first for top running back Cierre Wood as well as DE Justin Utopo. Both may need to be factors to win against State.
The Irish are going to need to be at their best on offense if they want to challenge MSU. That probably means we will see Tommy Rees again this week as he has the most experience of the QBs on the roster. ND is going to need every bit of it to have a chance against one of the best defenses in the country. Athleticism would help but not enough. Wood could provide the balance they need to keep the Spartans honest which will be critical.
This is going to be a tough one for ND. They beat the Spartans last year at home but haven’t won at MSU since 2006. This is a nice team but I am not sure they have the playmakers to win this type of game on the road. They won’t embarrass themselves, it just won’t be tight like many are expecting. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
Michigan State
By comparison there may not be a team looking better in the Big Ten than the Spartans are right now. Michigan got rolled by Alabama, Wisconsin hasn’t looked right two weeks in a row, Nebraska just lost and Ohio State is ineligible for postseason play. Everything is setting up nicely for the Spartans to continue the great run they have been on the last couple of seasons. As long as they don’t join the disappointment club by losing to Notre Dame.
The longer that MSU stays undefeated the more Heisman hype is going to be directed at running back Le’Veon Bell. He kind of reminds me of Ron Dayne but with better hands and he is next to impossible to stop when they need just a yard to two. Best of all he is taking the pressure off first year starter Andrew Maxwell – who looked much more comfortable last week against Central Michigan. This is the 8th (yards) ranked defense in the country. If they play like it again on Saturday the result should be good.
Things might be lining up for a special season for MSU but they really need this game. Their B10 schedule is back-loaded so they need to beat a team with some brand power now to continue their ascent (and stay undefeated of course). I think this is a high value play and it should be an electric atmosphere Saturday night in East Lansing.
Spread Pick: Michigan State -3.5
O/U Pick:
Score Prediction: Michigan State 33 – Notre Dame 24
