All the over-reactors after the first week of the college football season will be heaping praise on Notre Dame, but realize now that Texas isn’t very good. But a win is a win and Malik Zaire looked pretty damned good in the blowout. The Irish will turn up the flame on Cavs’ coach Mike London’s hot seat with another impressive win, this one on the road.
ODDS
Following their impressive win over Texas, Notre Dame was installed as a 10-point road favorite. Virginia showed very little in its loss last week and made the long cross-country trip home after its beating at UCLA. Hopefully the Cavs enjoyed the SoCal weather. The spread spiked a point to -11 with the total at 51.5. There is a chance of thunderstorms on Saturday in Charlottesville, leading to the total falling 49.5.
KEY MISMATCH
Malik Zaire against Virginia Defense
There was a reason why former Notre Dame starting quarterback Everett Golson transferred and we saw it last Saturday against Texas. It’s still a small sample size, but Zaire has shown he’s the real deal. He also showed he’s more than a runner, picking apart the Longhorns defense in a dominant performance in his first home start. Zaire completed 19 of 22 passes for 313 yards and three touchdowns in the rout. “We knew what he was capable of. I think he put it together tonight, and he has room to grow,” Irish coach Brian Kelly said of his young QB. The Cavaliers have a revamped defensive unit after losing all three linebackers from a season ago. This year’s starting trio of linebackers combined for all of one start prior to the season, leaving the Cavs defense green at the key positions.
KEY STAT
57.1 – The Irish converted eight of their 14 third down opportunities against Texas, allowing them to sustain drives and eventually wear down an inexperienced group of defenders. They could maintain the same level of success against the Cavs, who had a hard time getting off the field against UCLA.
BETTING ANGLE
After a season-opening loss to UCLA, the talk of Virginia coach Mike London being on the hot seat is unavoidable. It’s not that the Cavs lost the game, but how they lost. The Cavs had forged an identity of a power team on offense, running the football behind a deep and experienced line. On defense they were going to be the Jon Tenuta-led pressure-oriented bunch that regularly collapsed the pocket. In their minds, that’s what they are capable of doing. But what actually happened against UCLA proved plenty of work is still needed. “We’re going to have to do better,” London said after the loss. “We got to move on to the next challenge and the challenge is against Notre Dame.” But patience for London to turn the program around could be expiring, and three non-conference games against top-25 teams isn’t going to help unless the Cavs can get an upset. They already let one opportunity slip away.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
Before you get all giddy and start mentioning Zaire as a Heisman candidate, keep in mind the Longhorns aren’t the vaunted team we saw back in the day under Mack Brown when they posted 15 winning seasons in 16 years. The program has seemingly regressed under Charlie Strong and the Horns were overmatched. But it doesn’t lessen the fact that the Irish have plenty of tools. One piece will be missing from the toolbox however, after running back Tarean Folston was lost for the year with a knee injury. The one major concern with Notre Dame entering the season was its defense. Well, they completely manhandled Texas, holding the Horns to 163 yards and just two third down conversions in 13 tries. The Irish will get a stiffer test on the road from a Virginia team that is a bit better than Texas right now, but that shouldn’t keep Notre Dame from covering the spread.
Notre Dame 33, Virginia 17
The college football lines for this contest were first released by BookMaker and the Fighting Irish were positioned as 10-point favorites with a total of 51.5. 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!
Access live betting lines from your mobile device or tablet at BookMaker Sportsbook! You can wager on sporting events as they unfold on television with BookMaker’s live betting platform. Real-time spreads, totals, props and moneyline odds are all available by clicking here so start betting with BookMaker today! The Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Virginia Cavaliers square off on Saturday, September 12, 2015, at 3:30 p.m. ET at Scott Stadium. The matchup will be televised live on ABC.
