The Latest Odds, Predictions And Honors For Notre Dame Ahead Of Opener
Notre Dame’s season begins Saturday at home against Duke (2:30 p.m. ET, NBC), and the widely held expectation is the Irish will be 1-0 Saturday night.
They’re also the popular pick to reach the ACC title game and win at least 10 games once again. They were picked second in the ACC’s official preseason media poll and are appearing in that same slot in most other outlets’ ACC predictions.
Here’s a look at the relevant betting lines for the season opener, as well as a roundup of the latest preseason projections, predictions and storylines.
The Betting Line
Notre Dame is a 20-point favorite against Duke, per VegasInsider’s consensus line. The line has remained there since opening Aug. 31. The over/under for the game is 54.5 points. Notre Dame is also a 11-point first-half favorite, and the first-half over/under is 28 points.
DraftKings Sportsbook has the Irish as a 20.5-point favorite.
Math-Based Projections
ESPN’s Football Power Index gives Notre Dame an 87.8 percent chance to beat Duke. The Irish are 11th in the FPI, while the Blue Devils are 39th.
The SP+ metric, designed by ESPN’s Bill Connelly, ranks Notre Dame ninth heading into the season. Duke is 71st and higher than only two other ACC teams. With SP+ in mind, Connelly projects Notre Dame to win 10 games.
“The Irish picked a really good year to ‘join’ a conference,” he wrote. “Brian Kelly’s team starts the year ninth in SP+ and is a projected favorite of at least 9.8 points in nine of 11 games. The exceptions: Clemson’s visit and a Nov. 27 trip to North Carolina.”
Preseason Predictions
ESPN released its predictions for all conferences that are playing this season, and tabbed Notre Dame to finish second in the ACC. The Irish are behind only Clemson, and are followed by North Carolina, Louisville and Pitt.
The path to second will be an enthralling ride, ESPN’s panel of writers suggests. One of their bold predictions? The Irish will topple Clemson.
“The Tigers, who have won five straight ACC titles, bring a 22-game winning streak against conference foes into the 2020 season. By the time Clemson travels to Notre Dame on Nov. 7, that winning streak will stand at 28 in a row, one shy of the ACC record set by Florida State from 1992 to 1995.
“The Tigers’ streak will end in the most 2020 way possible, against the Fighting Irish, who are playing an ACC schedule this season because of the pandemic. The Tigers will get their revenge against the Irish in the ACC championship game.”
But an Irish upset will not lead to a playoff berth. Though Notre Dame is picked second, ESPN’s panel sees it losing two games to other ACC teams and missing the College Football Playoff:
“After losing at Pitt on Oct. 24, the Irish will rebound to win their next three games, including the big upset of No. 1 Clemson, to remain in the CFP hunt. Notre Dame’s dreams will end at North Carolina on Nov. 27, however, as Mack Brown pulls off another big upset.”
Notre Dame is No. 5 in ESPN's power rankings heading into the first week of action for Power Five teams.
“The Irish will play 10 ACC games and be eligible to play in the conference championship game in December,” ESPN’s Chris Low wrote. “They have the pieces in place to get there, too, from veteran quarterback Ian Book to one of the top offensive lines in the country to budding superstars on defense in linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah and safety Kyle Hamilton. This is a team primed to win 10 or more games for a fourth straight season.”
Honors And Storylines
ESPN writers David Hale and Andrea Adelson ranked the ACC’s 25 best players, and included two from Notre Dame. Hamilton is 10th and Owusu-Koramoah is 11th.
“ACC QBs would be wise not to pick on Hamilton during Notre Dame’s brief foray into the league,” Adelson and Hale wrote. “The Irish safety picked off four passes and broke up six others last season, while allowing just one completion of 20 yards or more and no touchdowns.”
Owusu-Koramoah was a preseason All-ACC selection and also was Notre Dame’s lone player on ESPN’s All-America team.
“A dominant force at linebacker, Owusu-Koramoah led the Irish in tackles with 80 and tackles for loss with 13.5, adding four passes broken up, three QB hurries and two forced fumbles,” Hale and Adelson wrote. “And although he wasn't a featured pass rusher, when Notre Dame did send Owusu-Koramoah after the QB, he got pressure 22.2 percent of the time — the best rate on the team.”
Owusu-Koramoah was a top-15 pick in ESPN analyst Todd McShay’s August mock draft. Colleague Mel Kiper Jr., ranked him second among draft-eligible outside linebackers, one spot ahead of his Saturday counterpart, Duke’s Chris Rumph II. Kiper highlighted those two as one NFL Draft storyline he will be following this weekend.
“Owusu-Koramoah is more of a speedy sideline-to-sideline defender who will play off the ball and find the man with the ball,” Kiper wrote. “Rumph has more pass-rush upside, as he had 6.5 sacks and 13.5 total tackles for loss a season ago. He will have his hands full against a veteran Fighting Irish offensive line that could put all five starters in the NFL. Both Owusu-Koramoah and Rumph could be first-round picks in April.”
Kiper also wrote he will be watching Notre Dame to get a closer look at tight end Tommy Tremble. The junior was not listed as the starter on Monday’s depth chart, but is expected to be a passing-game factor in Notre Dame’s quest to replace Cole Kmet.
“He impressed me in 2019, scoring four touchdowns on just 16 catches,” Kiper wrote. “He’s only 6-foot-3, but he has some upside. He’ll be a junior in 2020, so he has time to develop.”
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