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This Purdue vs. Notre Dame free pick is courtesy of Pregame.com.
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The Notre Dame Fighting Irish host the Purdue Boilermakers today in a much anticipated game on NBC at 3:30 EDT. Notre Dame has a new coach, and the ever popular team is looking to form a new identity. Purdue is a proud program with a good offense, so they should provide Notre Dame with a true test. The Fighting Irish are -11 point home favorites, with a total of 54.5 points expected this afternoon.
Notre Dame made major news this past offseason, as they hired new Head Coach Brian Kelly. Kelly is expected to take Notre Dame all the way to the top, much like he did for the Cincinnati program. Since Kelly's arrival, he has changed the Notre Dame offense to a quick strike spread offense, while the defense has gone from a 4-3 to a 3-4 defense. A few different QB's are likely to see playing time for the Fighting Irish, and they will all be looking for WR Michael Floyd. Floyd averaged 113 YPG last year, and finished the season with 9 TD's. Defensive Coordinator Bob Diaco has switched to a 3-4 defense because he's committed to stopping the run. Too many times last year Notre Dame were outclassed on the ground, as they gave up numerous big runs last year. Coach Kelly is likely to have his players motivated right out of the gate, as they have Michigan in their next game. The season starts off rather tough, especially considering the weighty expectations placed on the Fighting Irish with the hiring of Coach Kelly.
The Fighting Irish are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 non-conference games.
Purdue is another one of those middle of the pack teams from a BCS conference with the ability to outperform preseason expectations. The Boilermakers have the ability to be a high powered offense, possibly even better than last year's edition. For Purdue to make it to a bowl game this year, it is vital that they take better care of the ball. Last year, Purdue had 29 critical turnovers. New QB Robert Marve has all the physical tools to be an elite quarterback. Marve started his career in Miami, yet struggled with off the field issues which ultimately led to his transfer. Marve has a talented group of receivers at his disposal, including WR Keith Smith. Smith averaged nearly 8 RPG to lead the entire Big Ten. Another key factor for the Boilermakers in their drive for a bowl berth is their ability to stop their opponents running game. 3 of the past 4 years, Purdue has finished last in Big-10 in stopping the run. Purdue also has to break in an entirely new secondary, so their backs are up against the wall today. The Boilermakers are 11-28 all time when playing in Notre Dame stadium.
The under is 28-11-1 in their last 40 games on grass.
Pregame.com projects the final score to be 38-17 in favor of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. The Fighting Irish -11 is the Side of the Day!
