After two straight matchups against ranked opponents, Notre Dame football takes on the Bowling Green Falcons at home in what is shaping up to be a huge mismatch.
Notre Dame football is now 3-1 after last week’s 35-20 victory over the No. 18 Virginia Cavaliers and are gearing up for a tough middle stretch of the season that includes back-to-back games against rivals USC and Michigan.
Bowling Green should not be considered part of that ‘tough stretch.’
The Falcons (1-3) are shaping up to be massive underdogs against the Irish — 44.5-point underdogs, to be exact.
Oh my God.
— Pete Sampson (@PeteSampson_) September 29, 2019
Notre Dame opened as a 44.5-point favorite over Bowling Green, per Vegas Insider.
Barring a disastrous game, Saturday’s match up should be more of a bye week than anything else for the No. 9 Irish, and will hopefully serve as an opportunity to fine-tune some offensive and defensive schemes.
After defeating Morgan State 46-3 to open the season, the Falcons have dropped three straight games to some suspect opponents. These include:
- a 52-0 loss at Kansas State
- a 35-7 loss at home to LA Tech
- a 62-20 loss in the conference opener against Kent State
Given these past three performances, it’s understandable that the Irish opened as nearly seven-touchdown favorites. Former Notre Dame defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder — who now coaches the Falcons defense — hasn’t been able to stop anyone, and Bowling Green’s offense has been anemic since the Week 1 victory.
This game has all the makings of a blowout. Regardless, let’s take a look at what the Irish will be up against this Saturday.