Pitt vs Notre Dame Betting Odds

No. 5 Notre Dame hosts Pitt looking to remain undefeated

The No. 5 Notre Dame Fighting Irish lay their perfect 6-0 record on the line as they welcome the Pittsburgh Panthers to Notre Dame Stadium. Notre Dame has won four of the last five games against Pitt and opens this week’s game as a 21-point favorite. The average combined score over the last five meetings between these two schools is 48.6 and this game’s total opened at 56.5 points.

Shark Bites
  • Notre Dame is 9-0 SU in its last nine games at home.
  • The total has gone UNDER in four of Notre Dame’s last five games at home (avg. combined score: 43.2).
  • Pittsburgh is 10-1-1 ATS in its last 12 games on the road vs teams with winning records.

Pittsburgh vs Notre Dame Game Center

Notre Dame aims to carry a perfect record into its Bye Week

Notre Dame began the season with narrow victories over Michigan, Ball State and Vanderbilt, winning by an average margin of 6.67 points. However, since Ian Book has taken the reins from Brandon Wimbush as the starting quarterback, the Fighting Irish have swarmed their last three opponents, going 3-0 with an average winning margin of 24. Additionally, senior running back Dexter Williams has rushed for 339 yards with four touchdowns since returning from injury in Week 5 against Stanford.

Heading into this game, the Fighting Irish rank 40th in the nation in points scored per game at 34.8, but over the last three weeks since Book took over as the starting QB, they average 46.3 points per game. This season, Book has thrown for 887 yards with nine touchdowns and one interception, completing 73.3 percent of his passes. Meanwhile, Williams is averaging 8.9 yards per carry, providing Notre Dame a dangerous two-pronged attack through the air and on the ground. Defensively, the Irish allow an average of 19.5 points per game, which is 27th-fewest in the NCAA, and are led by senior defensive lineman Jerry Tillery, who has seven sacks and three forced fumbles.

Pitt is struggling on both sides of the ball

Pitt is coming off an exciting 44-37 victory over Syracuse, its first win since Week 3, to push its record to 3-3 on the season. The Panthers won two of their first three games, falling only to then-No. 13 Penn State over that span, but are just 1-2 SU in their last three games and needed a fourth-quarter comeback to beat Syracuse on Saturday. This is the Panthers’ third road game this season – they were stopped 38-35 by UNC in their first road match and fell 45-14 to then-No. 13 UCF the following week.

There have been inconsistencies on both sides of the ball for the Panthers as they rank near the bottom in the nation offensively and defensively. Pitt scores an average of 26 points per game, which is ranked in a tie for 91st in the NCAA, while defensively the team has given up an average of 32.8 points per game, 99th in the nation. The Panthers’ main attack is on the ground through senior running back Qadree Ollison. The New York native is averaging 6.5 yards per carry for a total of 596 yards, which ranks 18th in the NCAA, while also adding five touchdowns.

UNDER is trending in this match, but is it the smart bet?

Notre Dame and Pitt have had an average combined score of 48.6 in their last five meetings and Sportsbook has this week’s total Sportsbook at 56.5 points. The last time these two schools collided in 2015, there were 72 total points scored, while the last meeting in South Bend in 2012 featured 55 points. Additionally, the total has gone UNDER in six of the Panthers’ last seven road games with an average combined score of 51. However, Notre Dame’s offense has come alive over the last three weeks, going OVER in each game with an average combined score of 68.67. The Irish themselves have scored an average of 46.33 points per game over that span. With a suspect Pitt defense combined with a high-powered Notre Dame offense, I think the OVER is the smart bet.

My take on Pitt vs Notre Dame

I think this game is going to go OVER and Notre Dame will cover the 21-point spread. The Irish have had an average winning margin of 24 over their last three games since Ian Book became the starting signal-caller, including back-to-back wins over then-No. 7 Stanford and then-No. 24 Virginia Tech. The Panthers surrender 196.8 rushing yards per game and will have an extremely hard time trying to contain Dexter Williams, who is averaging 169.5 yards through his first two games of the season with four TDs over that span. Overall, I believe Notre Dame is better than Pitt on both sides of the ball and the Panthers, who have surrendered 13 sacks this season, are facing one of the best pass rushers in the nation in Jerry Tillery.

Notre Dame is 9-0 SU in its last nine games at home. home The total has gone UNDER in four of Notre Dame’s last five games at home (avg. combined score: 43.2).home Pittsburgh is 10-1-1 ATS in its last 12 games on the road vs teams with winning records.away
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