The Notre Dame football team knows it needs to log a win on Saturday if it wants to have any shot of staying in the playoff race. After a 0-2 start and a less-than-impressive win over Purdue, things come down to one contest against the Arkansas Razorbacks.
The Irish have been favored in every game they've played this season. Obviously, that hasn't necessarily equaled wins. They were 0-2 against the spread as well after losing to Texas A&M and Miami, but they did cover against Purdue. If Marcus Freeman and Co. win on Saturday, they'll cover.
Of course, Arkansas has been one of those teams that tend to play close games. Late-game mistakes have cost them a couple of times this season. The Razorbacks may find a way to hang with Notre Dame and still allow the Irish to win by a smaller spread.
Notre Dame vs Arkansas final odds
The line was favoring the Irish at the beginning of the week by 4.5 points, and it doesn't look as though that line is going to move much. It may do so right before the game kicks off.
For now, ND sits at -4.5, and the total is at 63.5 according to FanDuel Sportsbook. That total certainly demonstrates that Vegas believes this is going to be a high-scoring affair.
Notre Dame football vs Arkansas predictions
A significant factor in this game will be whether Leonard Moore and Devonta Smith can play. Moore is still listed as questionable, while Smith is probable. The Irish defense has been bad this season; it will be worse without either one of those guys.
Arkansas' offense is scary good, but they haven't really figured out how to win the big game. That will be the deciding factor in what will be a fun-to-watch shootout.
Notre Dame football wins 38-31