After Notre Dame lost to BYU, the sky seemed to be falling in South Bend. Head coach Marcus Freeman even seemed a bit more on edge than usual at his Monday press conference. If the early odds are to be believed, the Golden Domers still have plenty of reason to be excited about their showdown with Miami in two weeks.
According to FanDuel Sportsbook, Notre Dame is still 3.5-point favorites against the Miami Hurricanes. That might surprise several Irish fans who watched Chris Ash’s unit look overmatched against a BYU offense that isn’t on the same level as the ‘Canes attack with quarterback Darian Mensah and wide receiver Malachi Toney.
Miami fans, meanwhile, will almost certainly dismiss the early odds as nothing more than “media bias” against Notre Dame, even if the media has nothing to do with them. The simple answer to why the Irish are still favorites is that oddsmakers tend to give the home team quite a few points right off the bat.
Those points are usually right around three points when the home team is playing a big game. They believe the fans will be hyped, and hopefully Notre Dame will be, too. In other words, the game is really, essentially a pick ‘em.
Notre Dame football remains favored over Miami as early odds make matchup near pick ’em
Of course, it’s a valid question as to whether the Irish should even get that much credit. After all, confusion and anger over Notre Dame’s loss seem to hang over the coaching staff like a black cloud. Freeman talked like a man who had just suffered a double-digit defeat and thought the season might be all but over.
Meanwhile, Miami struggled to knock off in-state rival Florida State but still scored 43 points in overtime. They followed that up with a blowout win over a Pitt team ranked in the AP Top 25 just a few weeks ago.
In the game against the Panthers, Toney demonstrated just how dangerous he can be. He hauled in 16 receptions for 194 yards and 3 touchdowns. This season, he now has 66 catches for 952 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Considering Notre Dame had problems stopping the passing game of the Cougars in Provo, who didn’t had a top of the line receiver even close to the level of Toney. The line for this game will almost certainly change between now and next week. Just how much and in what direction will be interesting to see.
“Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.”
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