The Notre Dame Fighting Irish survived their first game without Malik Zaire and are now a deserving 3-0 SU and 2-1 ATS. They shouldn't have any problems whatsoever in their fourth game of the year against a Massachusetts Minutemen team which is 0-2 thus and has yet to win a game against a non-conference team since moving up to the FBS ranks.
ODDS ANALYSIS
Even though the Minutemen came close to upsetting Temple last week as 13.5-point underdogs, they are going to be pups by a lot more than that in this one.
The Fighting Irish are tough to line right now with DeShone Kizer playing quarterback, but after he helped them run up 450 yards against Georgia Tech last week, they're definitely justified at -29 in this one against a clearly overmatched team.
The line has since dropped to -27.5 only hours after the opening release.
KEY MISMATCH
The real key here for Notre Dame is going to be continuing to run the ball well on the ground. C.J. Prosise rumbled for 198 yards and three TDs last week against the Yellow Jackets, and he has started what might quietly turn into a Heisman Trophy type of season.
He has 59 carries in three games for 451 yards, and he is ripping off a healthy 7.6 yards per carry.
Against Temple and Colorado, the Minutemen have allowed 228.5 rushing yards per game. History says the Irish are going to run the ball a ton in this one. The most recent comparable game to this one we have seen UMass play was last season against Penn State in Happy Valley. The Nittany Lions ran for 228 yards on 45 carries and won 48-7.
KEY STAT
50 – The percent of the time the Irish ran the ball and threw the ball last week against Georgia Tech. 30 runs. 30 passes. Brian Kelly said that he couldn't baby Kizer in his first career start, and he certainly didn't. Not only did Kizer throw the ball 30 times, but he threw a lot of balls way down the field as well, not the least of which was a 46-yard touchdown to William Fuller to start the game.
BETTING ANGLE
The Minutemen have played four straight over games against Power 5 conference opponents, including an over against Colorado to kick off the season. Blake Frohnapfel is a big part of that for UMass, as he has thrown for not just 27 touchdowns, but 12 picks as well in his short 14 games in Amherst.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
As tough as it is to go against a Top 10 team against a club which is still definitively transitioning into an FBS team, we are going to go with the Minutemen in this game. Notre Dame has been thinned out quite a bit with injuries, not the least of which is to Zaire, and the fact that they are now without nine different players who could have been starters has us wary in a game like this.
Massachusetts won't be in this game in the fourth quarter, but Frohnapfel doesn't quit no matter the situation, and he'll have the Minutemen at least on the right side of the spread.
Notre Dame 34, Massachusetts 14
The college football lines for this Saturday game surfaced at BookMaker before anywhere else on the internet. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish opened up on Sunday at -29. Gamble on the game between every commercial break with BookMaker's live betting feature. Along with an adjusted in-game moneyline, you can wager on what will happen on the next play or how many points will be scored in the next quarter. Live betting is the most exciting way to play!
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook! The duel between the Massachusetts Minutemen and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish will take place at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, September 26, 2015. This 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff can be seen live on NBC.
