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Notre Dame football vs Cal Prediction and Odds for 2022 Week 3 College Football

By Brad Weiss

COLUMBUS, OHIO - SEPTEMBER 03: Audric Estime #7 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish celebrates after scoring a rushing touchdown in the second quarter of a game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium on September 03, 2022 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Ben Jackson/Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OHIO - SEPTEMBER 03: Audric Estime #7 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish celebrates after scoring a rushing touchdown in the second quarter of a game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium on September 03, 2022 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Ben Jackson/Getty Images) /
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The Notre Dame football team looks for win No. 1 on the 2022 season this Saturday against Cal, and here are the latest odds and our prediction.

It has been a terrible start to the season for the Notre Dame football team, as they lost a tough one against No. 2 Ohio State, and then were shocked at home by Marshall. For head coach Marcus Freeman, that illusive win No. 1 has now stretched to game No. 4, where the Irish will stay home inside Notre Dame Stadium to take on Cal.

Unlike the Irish, Cal has had a perfect start to its 2022 season, going 2-0, including a win over UNLV last weekend, a team the Irish will face later on in the season. Cal has a new quarterback in Jack Plummer, who the Irish faced last season when he was with Purdue, so the defense should be very familiar with what he can do on Saturday.

Here, we look at the early odds and prediction for this matchup.

Notre Dame football vs Cal Odds Week 3

According to FanDuel Sportsbook, the Irish should beat the Golden Bears in this one, as they are currently 10.5-point favorites against Cal. The over/under for this contest is set at 40.5, so it is clear that the oddsmakers do not expect a ton of offense in this matchup.

If you bet the Irish on the money line, they are currently -375, so not much money to be made there, but a Cal upset would net you +290. Overall, it is clear who Vegas likes to win this matchup but as we saw last weekend, anything can happen.

Notre Dame football vs Cal Prediction Week 3

Drew Pyne will be making his first start of the 2022 season, as starting quarterback Tyler Buchner was lost for the season last weekend against Marshall. That should make things a bit interesting for offensive coordinator Tommy Rees, who has seen his offense struggle in a big way out of the gate, especially in the run game.

We said it last week, and we will say it again: this is a very winnable game for the Irish. In fact, despite the sad start to the season, they are fully expected to get back on track against the Golden Bears, and while it will be close early, I believe that victory No. 1 for Freeman is only a few days away.

Final Score: Notre Dame football 28, Cal 20

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