The last time Brian Kelly had this talented of a team on his roster, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish played for the National Championship. Getting to the second College Football Playoff isn't out of the question this year for the Golden Domers either, but they'll have to get past the Texas Longhorns first to open up the year.
WHEN THE NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH HAVE THE BALL
Malik Zaire is officially the man at Notre Dame. Everett Golson has moved on to Florida State as a graduate transfer, and that leaves just one quarterback standing from what could have been a sticky situation to start off the season.
Zaire has a big league arm, and he isn't afraid to uncork the deep ball. His completion percentage isn't necessarily fantastic, but as he showed in the Music City Bowl, he can be explosive both with his arm and with his legs.
Seven starters (eight if you include Zaire) are back from a unit which averaged 32.8 points and 444.9 yards per game, and at the first sign Texas is struggling with Zaire's mobility, it's time to pull the trigger on the Irish in live betting.
That Texas defense has a lot of talent on it, but it isn't a deep unit, at least in terms of experienced players. Charlie Strong is still in the process of trying to get his types of players into burnt orange uniforms. He might have that type of talent out there with what he recruited this season, but as a live bettor, it's tough to trust guys playing in their first major collegiate games on the road against a very talented offense.
WHEN THE TEXAS LONGHORNS HAVE THE BALL
The key for Notre Dame though, is going to be its defense. That unit behind the experience of Manti Te'o is what led the team to the National Championship Game a few years back, and now, men like Sheldon Day, Jaylon Smith and Joe Schmidt are the ones leading the charge. Isaac Rochell is an up and comer along the defensive line, and getting back KeiVarae Russell after he was suspended for academics last season will help, too.
The Texas offense meanwhile, is still looking for an identity. The frustrating part about this game for live bettors is that you just know Tyrone Swoopes is going to make some plays. The kid has a decent arm, and he can run like a gazelle, but there are just too many mistakes here to trust on the road in a game like this one.
Just be forewarned that the 30+ yard plays are coming. So are the interceptions and sacks due to holding onto the ball too long.
If the Longhorns are struggling up front against the powerful Notre Dame front seven and Swoopes doesn't have time to survey the field without running for his life, live bettors could have a field day.
TREND TO TRACK
Last year, the Longhorns played seven games either at neutral sites or on the road. They scored 7, 28, 34, 0, 26 and 23 in those games. Thanks to strong defensive play, they did go 4-2 ATS in those clashes, but five of the six stayed under the total. This could be a repeat performance, albeit against a better offensive team in Notre Dame than we saw the Irish play at any point last season on the road or at a neutral site.
The NCAA football spread for this Saturday game was first available at BookMaker Sportsbook, and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish surfaced as 8.5-point chalks. The total opened at 54.5. Minute-by-minute spreads, totals and props are available for this game using the live betting platform at BookMaker.
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 contest between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Texas Longhorns will start at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, September 5, 2015, at Notre Dame Stadium. The matchup will be televised on NBC.
