Why Notre Dame Could Cover Against the Spread vs. Purdue Week 3
Notre Dame is 2-0 Straight Up yet 0-2 Against The Spread entering Week 3. Does anybody think this decent Fighting Irish team deserves to head into Week 4 0-3 Against The Spread? They are a -7.5 favorite against FSU.
Notre Dame receives a rating of 77.25 and is currently considered 34th best in College Football, a far cry from the No. 12 ranking they come into Week 4 with.
Purdue is rated at 73.76. With the game being played in Notre Dame, there is a 3-point home field advantage added to the Fighting Irish number and that gives us a line of Notre Dame -6.5.
The Fighting Irish are winning games with their passing game and not much more, and it shows in their 0-2 record Against The Spread. The biggest issue has been a run defense, but hopefully they're making the improvements necessary. And even the slightest adjustments might not be good enough for Purdue's offense to overcome. Notre Dame's current power rating takes into account their defensive weaknesses. The Boilermakers will not be able to make similiar adjustments on offense.
Jack Coan is overachieving for Notre Dame. He's hit 69% of his throws so far for over 600 yards with six touchdowns and two picks.
The books have also moved from -7 to -7.5, even -8 at Pinnacle, a sign that they are trying to get as much action on Purdue as possible.
Notre Dame should win this one and we don't see them going 3-0 SU and 0-3 ATS. Notre Dame is our pick at -7.5
- Don Shapiro, Gambling911.com