Notre Dame vs Air Force NCAA Football Odds
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish may not be having the season they had in 2012, but they can find solace in one simple fact: They’ve been much better than their Week 9 opponent, the Air Force Falcons. On the year, Notre Dame is 5-2 while Air Force is just 1-6.
Notre Dame (5-2) @ Air Force (1-6, 0-5 MWC)
Saturday, Oct. 26 5:00 PM ET @ Falcon Stadium
Moneyline: N/A
Spread: Notre Dame -20
O/U: 56.5
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The Fighting Irish enter the contest as 20-point favorites, and they’ll look to assert their dominance on the road against a lower-level opponent.
Notre Dame
If you’ve watched the Fighting Irish this season, you’ve seen that they’re a far cry from the squad that went to the national championship in 2012. That said, they’re coming off of two big wins, and they have momentum entering their contest against the Air Force Falcons.
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Entering the game, Notre Dame is only winning its games by an average point margin of 1.1 points.
The team is allowing just 23.3 points per contest, but on the other hand, it is also scoring just 25.4 points on its own. The good news here is that the team is going up against an awful defense that is allowing 37.6 points per game.
The Fighting Irish have been more effective throwing the ball than running it this season, so utilizing their strengths will be important against an inferior opponent.
Where Notre Dame must be careful is on defense. Air Force is hardly a dominant offensive team, but it can do some serious damage running the ball. The Falcons are 12th in the nation in rushing, as they’re compiling 268.6 yards per game on the ground. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
Air Force
As good as Air Force is on the ground, it must establish a more dynamic approach against a Notre Dame team that has been decent defensively. The Falcons are completing just 102.3 yards per game through the air, and while that’s a direct result of their style of play, it also creates for a predictable game plan against superior organizations.
Defensively, Air Force must do just the opposite. It has to force Notre Dame to become a one-trick pony.
If the Fighting Irish want to throw the ball, which they will, getting to the quarterback is going to be crucial. Sending the blitz and forcing the run must be a part of the attack, and if it’s not, the Falcons’ defense might be in for a long day.
Unfortunately for the crowd at Falcon Stadium, this game really won’t be one worth watching on the national level.
Few people around the country will want to watch two underwhelming teams if they don’t have a dog in the fight, especially when it’s almost a shoe-in that Notre Dame comes away with a victory.
The question is whether or not the Fighting Irish can win against the spread. In this case, 20 points seems a bit high.
The Fighting Irish are only averaging 25.4 points on the year, and while that’s a result of a fairly heavy schedule, don’t expect them to dominate by that much for the first time since Week 1.
Score Prediction: Notre Dame 27 – Air Force 10