Notre Dame continues a three-game run vs. Big Ten opponents with a visit to East Lansing to play Michigan State Saturday night (8 pm ET ABC). The Irish, off to a 2-0 start after a 20-17 win over Purdue, are four-point underdogs vs. the Spartans, who are also 2-0, coming off a 41-7 victory over Central Michigan.



View Notre Dame vs Michigan State Odds and Stats.

Betting Line: Oddsmakers opened the Spartans as 4-point underdogs in the game, while the betting total had not been set at the time of writing.

Power Rankings / Prediction: The OddsShark Power Rankings have the Spartans at No. 7 and the Fighting Irish at No. 33 heading into this contest. Handicapping models project a 43-41 result in favor of the Fighting Irish.



How They Match Up:
Offensively, the game matches up Michigan State's No. 71-ranked offense (29 PPG) against a Fighting Irish defense that ranks No. 28 at 13.5 PPG. The Spartans passing attack has averaged 285 yards per game, more than the Fighting Irish give up through the air (195 YPG on average).

Defensively, the Fighting Irish feature the league's No. 40-rated road run defense, allowing 149 yards per game. Michigan State, meanwhile, ranks No. 39 in rushing offense at home.

Notre Dame was a 20-17 Sportsbook in their most recent outing at home against Purdue. They failed to cover the 14-point spread as favorites, while the total score (37) made Sportsbooks of UNDER bettors. In their last game, the Fighting Irish were Week 2 Sportsbooks, coming out on top of the Boilermakers by a score of 20-17.

In their last action, Michigan State was a 41-7 Sportsbook on the road against Central Michigan. They covered the 19-point spread as favorites, while the combined score (48) was profitable news for UNDER bettors. Michigan State cruised to victory in its last outing, as they ran up a 41-7 score against Central Michigan at Kelly/Shorts Stadium.


Notre Dame Fighting Irish Trends:
When playing in September are 5-5
When playing on grass are 7-3
After outgaining opponent are 8-2
When playing outside the conference are 7-3

Michigan State Spartans Trends:
When playing in September are 8-2
When playing on grass are 9-1
After outgaining opponent are 8-2
When playing outside the conference are 8-2

A few Fighting Irish at Spartans trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Notre Dame's last 5 games
Notre Dame is 10-3 SU in its last 13 games
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Notre Dame's last 8 games when playing Michigan State
Notre Dame is 8-3 SU in its last 11 games on the road
Michigan State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
Michigan State is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Michigan State's last 8 games when playing Notre Dame
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Michigan State's last 7 games when playing at home against Notre Dame


Next up:
Notre Dame home to Michigan, Saturday, September 22
Michigan State home to Eastern Michigan, Saturday, September 22