The NCAA football schedule opens up this weekend with a banger between No. 12 Notre Dame and No. 14 Michigan at Notre Dame Stadium. This is the first meeting between the two schools since 2014 when the Fighting Irish hosted and blanked the Wolverines 31-0. Notre Dame opened as the +100 underdog for this upcoming battle with Michigan coming back at -114. The total opened at 48.
- The visiting team is 3-13 SU in the last 16 games in this matchup.
- Michigan is 11-0 SU in its last 11 games in September.
- Notre Dame is 6-2 SU and ATS in its last eight home games vs Michigan.
View Michigan vs Notre Dame matchup page
Can Michigan earn a Rare Road win over Notre Dame?
Although it’s just Week 1, this is a pivotal game for Michigan in terms of its search to earn a College Football Playoff spot at the end of the season. This is the first time that Michigan has locked horns with Notre Dame since 2014, and the Wolverines are looking for a better outcome than that contest. The two battled at Notre Dame Stadium and the Fighting Irish walked away with the 31-0 victory. But, you don’t have to look too far back to find a road victory for the Wolverines over the Fighting Irish, as they completed that feat in 2010 when Michigan edged Notre Dame 28-24.
Michigan faces an uphill battle, though, as the visiting team is just 3-13 SU in the last 16 games in this matchup and the Wolverines are 6-11 SU over their 17 road games all-time vs the Fighting Irish. However, since Jim Harbaugh took over as the head coach for the Wolverines, they are 11-1 SU in September games, losing the first game and riding an 11-game winning streak since. Last season, Michigan ranked 105th in the NCAA for total offense and had just nine passing touchdowns which were its fewest since the 1975 season. It has brought in quarterback Shea Patterson from Ole Miss to help in the passing area and it returns eight players to the third-best defense last season. It all lands on Patterson’s shoulders and he faces a tough task in Week 1 on the road against Notre Dame.
Notre Dame has been Good at Home in September Recently
The Fighting Irish are 11-4 SU and 9-6 ATS over their last 15 home games in September, but more recently are just 2-3 SU and ATS. They had an opportunity to sweep their three September games in 2017, but they were edged out by Georgia 20-19 in Week 2. Notre Dame is 6-7 SU in September games against Michigan since 2002, however, it is 5-2 SU at home over that span. Additionally, the Fighting Irish are 8-2 SU over their last 10 games in Week 1, losing just one game at Notre Dame Stadium over that span.
Last season, Notre Dame ranked 27th in NCAA in total offense, averaging 448.2 yards per game. Quarterback Brandon Wimbush returns for his senior year, coming off a season in which he threw for 1,887 yards, 16 touchdowns and only six interceptions. Dexter Williams gets his crack at being the lead running back after being the backup last season. Defensively, the Fighting Irish return nine starters in a group that ranked in a tie for 46th in the NCAA for total defense, allowing 369.2 yards per game.
Should you be on the OVER in this game?
With two top-tier schools set to do battle in Week 1, Sportsbook has the total Sportsbook at 48 points. The last three meetings between Notre Dame and Michigan at Notre Dame Stadium have gone UNDER, but only two of those games went UNDER 48 points. Since 2002, the two schools have faced each other 13 times and only five times over that span have they gone OVER 48 points. Additionally, the Wolverines have gone OVER in five of their last six games in Week 1, while the Fighting Irish have gone OVER in six of their last seven games in September. Lastly, Michigan had the third-best defense last season that returns eight players and Notre Dame returns nine starters to its 46th-ranked defense.
