Simulation Picks
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Expert Picks
This was an incredibly tough game to pick, but ultimately for me, it comes down not to Notre Dame's ability to stop Syracuse but whether the Orange can contain the Irish for four quarters. If 'Cuse is not able to score at will as they have in so many games this season, will the defense be able to hold a ND team that scored 31 against a much better defense on the road two weeks ago? Don't forget, the Orange gave up 41 to NC State and 37 to North Carolina at home. Away from the Carrier Dome, I like Notre Dame to cover. Get this at 9.5 if you can.
The public seems enamored with a flashy Syracuse team that has put up gaudy offensive numbers during this breakout season. But most of those points have come against the UConns and Louisvilles of the college football world. Needless to say, playoff-seeking Notre Dame provides a major step-up in competition Saturday. The Orange have the default home-field edge, good playmakers and plenty of motivation. But they won't be able to hang with the powerful Irish for four quarters.
Weather should be an issue in today’s matchup of Syracuse vs Notre Dame. While the focus has been on the incredible run of the Irish, let's not forget that this could easily be the Orange as the higher-ranked team. A late collapse against Clemson devalued Syracuse for a full month. Look for that to carry over into a game that should be much closer ATS.
Notre Dame has playoff hopes coming in at 10-0 (6-3-1 ATS) and the Irish have their QB Ian Book back expected to start, but I think the mounting pressure of being undefeated and Syracuse on the brink of doing something special will have the Irish fighting for their playoff lives. Syracuse and QB Eric Dungey have been underrated all season (7-2-1 ATS) and on a neutral site at Yankee Stadium, look for Cuse to pull off the upset. But I'll take the points just in case.
Big spotlight game in Yankee Stadium Saturday Night between Syracuse and Notre Dame, with both being ranked in the Top 15. Syracuse's Dino Babers is a big-game coach, seemingly having his Orange ready to play and showcase well on the biggest of stages, even pulling off an upset or two. With the uncertainty of Irish starting QB Ian Book, It's safe to say that their offense won't look as cohesive as it did earlier in the season. Also, with a game of this magnitude, expect the Orange to completely open up the playbook, which will definitely keep this one very close.
The Orange have played four games outside the Carrier Dome this season and have lost two of them. They've allowed 34.25 points per game in those four games. One of those road games came against Clemson, which is the best defense Syracuse has faced all season. Notre Dame's defense will be the second-best it's faced all season, and I expect the Orange to struggle moving the ball just like they did against Clemson. Their 23 points against Clemson was their lowest output of the season, but the difference is that game was before Clemson made the full-time move to Trevor Lawrence and went supernova. Well, Ian Book is Notre Dame's version of Trevor Lawrence, and Dexter Williams is its answer for Travis Etienne.
Not many people pointed to this game as a scary game for the Fighting Irish prior to the season, but more people have hopped on the Orange bandwagon throughout the first two-plus months of the season. Quarterback Eric Dungey is tough as nails, has tossed 14 touchdowns and run 12 in on his own. Notre Dame's offense has handled mobile quarterbacks this year, but they haven't faced a dual-threat quarterback who operates in an offense that's as tempo-based as Syracuse. Not only will Dungey have success against the Notre Dame defense, he will put enough pressure on quarterback Ian Book to force Book to make enough mistakes to end the dream of a Notre Dame undefeated season.