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| BYU Cougars | Notre Dame Fighting Irish |
Notre Dame's Fighting Irish got upset by Pitt their last time out, and will not play in a BCS bowl the season after they played in the BCS championship game.
The Irish will try to salvage a good ending to this season, starting with a bout with the 7-3 BYU Cougars Saturday in South Bend.
Last year Notre Dame won several close games on its way to that BCS title game; this year the Golden Domers have lost a couple close ones, including a 28-21 decision at Pitt two weeks ago.
The Irish had last week off.
BYU, meanwhile, bounced back after a loss to Wisconsin by beating Idaho State Saturday 59-13.
In the early betting Notre Dame, which had to rally to beat the Cougars last year 17-14, was favored by one point over BYU.
he Cougars will look to vanquish their hosts on Saturday, as they are 5-4-1 ATS versus the spread this season, while the Fighting Irish are 3-6-1 ATS. BYU is 4-6 against the total, while Notre Dame is 5-5 versus the number.
View BYU Cougars vs Notre Dame Fighting Irish Odds and Stats.
Bettors going with the Fighting Irish in this game found them listed as 1-point favorites on the betting line at Sportsbook earlier in the week.
The Fighting Irish - Cougars odds would favor the Cougars if the lines were set according to power ranks. Notre Dame is rated No. 48 in our latest OddsShark poll, while the Cougars sit at No. 26. Math models based on recent stats and predictive formulas point to a 36-29 win for the Cougars.
In their last action, BYU was a 59-13 Sportsbook at home against Idaho State. They earned a push of the 46-point spread as favorites, while the combined score (72) was profitable news for OVER bettors. In Notre Dame's last outing, Tommy Rees threw for 318 yards in a losing cause against the Panthers, 28-21 at Heinz Field.
How They Match Up:
Offensively, the game matches up Notre Dame's No. 68-ranked offense (28.2 PPG) against a Cougars defense that ranks No. 23 at 21 PPG. The Fighting Irish passing attack has averaged 256 yards per game, more than the Cougars give up through the air (222.3 YPG on average).
Defensively, the Cougars feature the league's No. 35-rated road run defense, allowing 143 yards per game. Notre Dame, meanwhile, ranks No. 72 in rushing offense at home.
A few Cougars at Fighting Irish trends to consider:
BYU is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games
BYU is 13-6 ATS in its last 19 games on the road
BYU is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of BYU's last 5 games on the road
Notre Dame is 3-7-1 ATS in its last 11 games
Notre Dame is 19-4 SU in its last 23 games
The total has gone UNDER in 15 of Notre Dame's last 22 games
Notre Dame is 3-7-1 ATS in its last 11 games at home
Next up:
BYU at Nevada, Saturday, November 30th
Notre Dame at Stanford, Saturday, November 30th
