Notre Dame vs Cincinnati Opening Odds – Bearcats Look to Remain Undefeated

• No. 8 Cincinnati opens as a 2.5 point favorite at No. 12 Notre Dame
• The Bearcats are 2-1 ATS while the Irish are only 2-2. Both are 4-0 straight up.
• Cincinnati comes off its bye week to travel to South Bend on Saturday afternoon.

No. 8 Cincinnati is listed as a 2.5 point favorite against No. 12 Notre Dame as the two teams prepare to meet in a clash that has major playoff implications for both sides.

Notre Dame has played better in its last two games which have included second-half rallies against Purdue and Wisconsin (on a neutral site in Chicago). As for Cincinnati, they had easy games against Miami (Ohio) and Murray State. They struggled against Indiana for a bit before going on to win 38-24 on September 18th.

Notre Dame vs Cincinnati Opening Spread/Odds/Line

Odds as of September 26th at DraftKings.

Notre Dame Coming off a Strong Win

Notre Dame heads back home after holding Wisconsin to just 13 points. Overall, the Irish have won four straight games to start the year after losing in the college football semifinals against Clemson last season. Brian Kelly is now the all-time leader for wins as a Notre Dame coach.

Quarterback Jack Coan was okay against Wisconsin, completing 15 of 29 passes for 158 yards with one touchdown. He did get hurt during the game. When Drew Pyne came in, he completed 6 of 8 passes for 81 yards. The Irish seemed to move the ball better.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bunE7QpW-GM

Brian Kelly expects to go with Coan as he avoided an ankle injury against Wisconsin. Pyne engaged the offense better and the receivers did seem to gain more separation. Hopefully, Coan learned a few things while on the sideline during that fourth-quarter comeback.

The Notre Dame defense looked more sure of itself again. After holding firm late against Purdue last week, they picked off Graham Mertz four times and returned one for a touchdown. Wisconsin was held to 74 yards rushing. After games against Florida State and Toledo, the Irish had many defensive questions. Some were answered on Saturday in Chicago.

Then there is Cincinnati…

Head Coach Luke Fickell has enjoyed success the past three seasons (31-6 with two bowl wins). Arguably, Saturday’s game against Notre Dame is the biggest during Fickell’s tenure.

The Bearcats have held opponents to 15 points per game while piling up 43 points per contest (15th and 9th in the nation respectively). Their strength of schedule is just 106th out of 133 teams. That changes come Saturday at Notre Dame.

Cincinnati has two key offensive weapons with several others ready at the arsenal. Quarterback Desmond Riddler has an above-average arm and can run as well. He has seven touchdowns through the air and two on the ground. Overall, he has accounted for 820 yards of offense. Riddler can get the ball downfield partially set up by running back Jerome Ford. Ford has 320 yards on 53 carries and six touchdowns.

Cincinnati comes off that bye week after allowing 24 points to Indiana. Notre Dame could have early trouble against a mobile Riddler (ten carries, 45 yards, touchdown) against Indiana. The key will be the offensive and defensive lines. If Cincinnati gets a push early, the Irish are in trouble. Notre Dame’s offense tends to be more dynamic at home. It needs to be better than it was against Wisconsin (three yards rushing).

The line expects to drop. Cincinnati creates matchup headaches for Notre Dame on both sides of the ball.