The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are off to a 5-0 SU and 2-3 ATS start to the 2020 season. A date with the Clemson Tigers awaits on November 7, but first the Fighting Irish need to avoid looking ahead and take care of business on Saturday when they visit the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.
- Date/Time: October 31, 12 noon ET
- Stadium: Bobby Dodd Stadium
- TV Coverage: ABC
- Sportsbook Odds: Notre Dame -20 | O/U 56.5 (Line History)
- Notre Dame vs Georgia Tech Matchup Report
Sportsbook Odds Analysis
The Fighting Irish opened as -20 road favorites but have been bet down slightly to -19.5. The total has remained steady in the early stages of the week at 56.5 points. Georgia Tech is 4-1 ATS in its last five games against Notre Dame, but the most recent meeting between these two teams came back in 2015.
Notre Dame News & Notes
Ian Book had his best game of the 2020 season last Saturday with 312 passing yards and three passing touchdowns in Notre Dame’s 45-3 road win over the Pittsburgh Panthers as a 10-point favorite.
The win came with yet another dominant performance from the Fighting Irish defense, which has allowed only 9.8 points and 273 yards per game. Notre Dame has allowed seven points or less in three of its five games this season.
But while the Fighting Irish have looked fantastic this season, they haven’t really been tested yet. That will change in November when Notre Dame hosts Clemson on November 7 and visits North Carolina on November 27.
Chip Kelly has already admitted that he and his team are looking ahead to Clemson, which is a natural impulse. But that game could mean a whole lot less if the Fighting Irish cough up this game to Georgia Tech on Saturday.
Georgia Tech News & Notes
Georgia Tech’s season started off on a high note with a 16-13 road win over the Florida State Seminoles as 13-point road underdogs. But since then, the Yellow Jackets have gone just 1-4 SU and ATS. The team’s defense has been torched for 46.8 points and 514.2 yards per game over the five-game slump.
True freshman quarterback Jeff Sims opened the season with an ugly 3-to-8 touchdown-to-interception ratio through his first three games, but he has since settled down and thrown five touchdowns with only two interceptions over his last three starts.
His best start of the season came earlier this month against the Louisville Cardinals when he had 249 passing yards, two passing touchdowns, 64 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown. Sims will need to be at his absolute best for the Yellow Jackets to have any chance in this one.
Betting Pick: Notre Dame -19.5
Georgia Tech’s porous defense should get ripped to shreds by Notre Dame’s offense. And facing one of the best defenses in the nation, the Yellow Jackets won’t likely be able to produce enough offense to keep up.
- Notre Dame is 7-2 SU in its last 9 road games.
- Georgia Tech is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games as a dog.
- The OVER is 5-0 in Georgia Tech’s last 5 home games.
