Notre Dame has won two of its first three, with the lone loss coming by a point to a nationally ranked Georgia team. The Spartans are 2-0 but have yet to face a team that has the caliber of players as the Fighting Irish.
This is a good barometer for each side after they both finished with four wins or fewer a season ago.
This matchup in Week 4 of the regular season will take place on Saturday, September 23, 2017, at 8 p.m. ET at Spartan Stadium.
College Football Odds at BookMaker.eu
Notre Dame -3.5
Michigan State +3.5
Over/Under 54
Odds Analysis
The Fighting Irish may be on the road for this one but they are still favored by more than a field goal. The betting public thinks that is too high as about two-thirds of the early money is on Michigan State to cover.
The scoring total is lower than most college games as the defenses figure to put up a fight in this one. The “under” has been the more popular choice. Notre Dame is listed as the -170 favorite on the moneyline and bettors like that price, as about 80 percent of the action has the Fighting Irish winning this game straight up. Michigan State is a +150 underdog to pull off the upset.
Key Stat
207. That’s how many yards Notre Dame quarterback Brandon Wimbush rushed for in his team’s win over Boston College last week. It’s the most ever for a Notre Dame quarterback in a single game. Wimbush averaged 9.9 yards a carry in the win and finished the game with four rushing touchdowns as well.
Last weekend’s performance was quite a jump for the junior who had just a single rushing yard on 16 carries in a loss to Georgia the week before. The junior has amassed 314 yards and six touchdowns on the ground over the first three games of the season in addition to 491 passing yards. His dual threat abilities make it tough on defenses, and Michigan State must bottle him up.
Player to Watch
Brian Lewerke -- Michigan State’s sophomore quarterback is off to a strong start this season throwing for 411 yards through two games with four touchdowns and one interception. Like Wimbush, he is a mobile quarterback and has rushed for 150 yards and two touchdowns as well this season.
He will be rested coming into this game as Michigan State is coming off a bye week and will look to pick up right where he left off against a much more formidable opponent in Notre Dame.
Free ATS Pick
Notre Dame seems to have put its 2016 struggles behind it with a strong start to the season. Michigan State is still more of an unknown as it hasn’t faced great competition. There is some reason for pause as the Spartans let Western Michigan hang around in the second half of a 28-14 win last time out.
Playing on the road and coming away with the victory is never easy, but this Notre Dame team has the superior product on the field. Take the Fighting Irish to both capture this game and cover the spread. It’s a tough call since a field goal margin would allow the Spartans the cover, but expect Notre Dame to win by more than that.
The scoring total will hit the “under” as the Michigan State offense is going to have a hard time getting untracked in this matchup.
College Football Odds: Notre Dame 28, Michigan State 23
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