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The Total Has Dropped
Ladies and gentlemen, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish play again this coming Saturday. Much to my liking, it is not a night game (but it isn’t that perfect Noon kickoff either). The team plays the Pittsburgh Panthers in Pittsburgh at Heinz Field. Even though most people might claim differently, the Irish did in fact beat the Louisville Cardinals last Saturday to improve to 4-0 and 3-0 in ACC play.
Last week, the point spread and point total were decidedly WAY too high. With a final score of 12-7, the Irish definitely did not cover the spread, the UNDER had miles to go before that wouldn’t hit. Because of last week’s game, we see some differences this week. So, let’s get into it.
ND vs Pitt Betting Lines
For this game, there should be some interesting things that happen. When the Irish play Pitt, there are always some goofy events that transpire.
Re: my last tweet. 2011 was a 15-12 final. 2012 needs no explanation. 2013 Tuitt targeting. 2015 we gave up those points late. 2018 was our scare game that season.
— Matt (@mattygOFD) October 19, 2020
So, maybe watch out for the lines this week even more than normal. As shown below, the Irish still retain their 5-game streak of being double-digit favorites (ND -10.5). The point total, though, has dropped significantly since previous games. The Irish’s lack of points and Pitt’s great rush defense presumably prompted the point total to be 43.5
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The Irish are still heavy favorites against the 3-3 Panthers. However, some might say the point spread is too high. The offense does in fact need to figure some things out, especially with passing. The Panthers stop the run very well, so the Irish will need to put up some points with some well-executed passes.
Matty G’s Prediction
That point spread is weird. I am not on the Chicken Little side of things when it comes to the team, as I believe in the overall talent and skill they possess, especially over inferior teams. I am, though, still weary of this game. Like I said, flukey things occur when the Irish play Pitt. I would say that the Irish win in the 8-10 points range. It is way closer than it should be, and the Irish just barely miss out on covering the spread. With that said, I will take the OVER on this game. I think the Irish suprise some people and help us know last week was very strange. I could see Pitt scoring some points as well. The score of something like 35-27 or 34-24 seems about right to me.
Because of last week and the total, I will set this week’s DAMHSA BUA total at 3.5. What do the Irish do - score more or fewer than 3 TDs? Let me know what you think.
Poll
OVER or UNDER 3.5 DAMHSA BUAs vs Pitt?
Go Irish. Beat Pitt.