Notre Dame vs. MSU Spread at Spartans -6
Carrie Stroup with your Notre Dame vs. MSU spread that has the Spartans as a -6 point home favorite at Sportsbook.com. Be sure to claim your FREE $250 when joining online.
Sportsbook.ag Line & Total: Michigan State -6 & 44
Opening Line & Total: Spartans -3.5 & 43.5
Two of the top teams in the land square off in their annual meeting when No. 20 Notre Dame visits No. 10 Michigan State on Saturday night.
Michigan State is 10-5 (10-4-1 ATS) in this series since 1997, but Notre Dame won last year’s meeting 31-13, holding the Spartans to 29 rushing yards. Irish top RB Cierre Wood, who scored two touchdowns in last year’s game, returns from his two-game suspension. Notre Dame won a squeaker over Purdue last week, 20-17, in a game where Everett Golson threw for 289 yards and 1 TD, but Tommy Rees came off the bench to lead the team to the game-winning FG drive. Golson (thumb) expects to start against MSU’s defense that has allowed just 20 points and 451 total yards in two games. Notre Dame is a more accomplished offensive team with an underrated defense. The Irish also have a head coach that thrives in non-home games, going 19-8 ATS (71%) in road games in the first half of the season as a college head coach. Also consider that road underdogs of 3.5 to 10 points in the first month of the season, coming off a winning record in the previous season but closing out that year with 2+ straight losses, are 31-6 ATS (84%) since 1992.
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If Golson cannot produce on this big stage, the Irish are confident that Rees is capable of winning this game. He was the only quarterback in last year’s blowout win over MSU, completing 18-of-26 passes for 161 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT. Wood will provide a huge boost to the Irish running game that gained a mere 52 yards on 36 carries in last week’s narrow win over Purdue. Star TE Tyler Eifert had a big game though, with 98 receiving yards on his four catches. Defensively, Notre Dame already has seven sacks this year and is allowing just 315 total YPG. The Irish have lost six straight road games against ranked teams by an average of 16.7 PPG.
Michigan State QB Andrew Maxwell is coming off a huge performance in the 41-7 win over Central Michigan, completing 20-of-31 passes for 275 yards, 2 TD and 0 INT. That was quite an improvement from his three-interception game (one returned for a TD) in the 17-13 season-opening win over Boise State. Le’Veon Bell is the engine to this Spartans offense with four touchdowns and 280 rushing yards (sixth-most in FBS). But Bell was stalled in last year’s game, gaining just 27 yards on seven carries, a significant drop-off from his 114 rushing yards last time Notre Dame was in East Lansing in 2010. The Spartans defense has not allowed an offensive touchdown this year, but they have tallied just one sack this year. However, they believe they can pressure the Irish quarterback, considering Notre Dame has already allowed seven sacks in two games. Michigan State is seeking its fifth straight home win against a Top 25 opponent.
- Carrie Stroup, Gambling911.com Senior Reporter
