NCAAF Matchups: As college football has continued to grow and rapidly evolve over the past decade longtime fans have decried the loss of traditional rivalries which many believe is what set college football apart and made it so special. Another one of those rivalries ends this week as Michigan and Notre Dame will meet for the final time, at least in the foreseeable future, thus ending a tradition that is embedded in the fabric of Midwestern football lore.
The Fighting Irish of Notre Dame (-4.5) will host the Michigan Wolverines at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday night with coverage on NBC starting at 7:30 PM ET.
Back to the Future for Maize and Blue
The Michigan Wolverines took a page out of the late great coach Bo Schembechler’s playbook and thrashed Appalachian State for 350 yards rushing and 9.7 yards per carry en route to a 52-14 payout as 28 point home favorites last week. Michigan’s long stated goal to return to power running came to full fruition last week as Derrick Green ran for 170 yards and a TD while De’Veon Smith added 115 yards and two TD’s. And, just as important, the great rushing attack opened up play action passes for QB Devin Gardner who threw for 13/14 and 173 yards with three TD’s. New offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier could not have imagined a better debut.
Irish Eyes are Smiling
Norte Dame destroyed Rice last week 48-17 as 20.5 point home chalks as QB Everett Golson’s comeback debut was a resounding success as he threw for 295 yards and two TD’s. The Irish had a 576-367 total yards edge.
Matchup and Pick
Michigan has struggled to maintain their board value in road games with just seven payouts in their last 20 games away from home with just seven out of their last 20 away games going over the total. Conversely, Notre Dame has been a weak board value at home with just four payouts in their last 13 home games with just five out of their last 16 home games going over the total. The Wolverines have held the advantage over the Irish in this head to head series with six payouts in the last eight meetings as four out of the last six games between Michigan and Notre Dame have gone over the total. We’ll call for the Maize and Blue of Michigan in this one based on their head to head record advantage.
