The 9th-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish visit the Florida State Seminoles on Sunday night on ABC. The Fighting Irish will have a new quarterback under center, as Jack Coan takes over. He made 17 starts at Wisconsin from 2018-2019 and threw for 2,727 yards with 18 touchdowns and five interceptions. The Seminoles will be hoping year two under head coach Mike Norvell is better than last year when Florida State went 3-6. The Fighting Irish are listed as 7.5-point favorites with a total of 55. Let’s look at the contest and college football picks. Week One college football action features a rare Sunday contest, as the 9th-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish visit the Florida State Seminoles. This game takes place at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida on Sunday, September 5, 2021. This game will be broadcast live on ABC at 7:30 p.m. ET. We’ll have college football odds available at Bookmaker.eu for this and every game this season.
College Football Betting at BookMaker.eu
Notre Dame Fighting Irish -7.5
Florida State Seminoles +7.5
Total 55
Odds Analysis
The early line on this game had Notre Dame listed as a 9.5-point favorite. The number has dropped down to 7.5, but the line move isn’t one to get excited about, as no key number was involved. The total has dropped slightly from an opening of 55.5 to the current 55.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
The Fighting Irish are very confident in their new starting quarterback, "He's been really good. He's the same guy every day," Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly said to the media about Coan.
"He's so consistent in terms of who he is and his makeup, his preparation. He's certainly been in some big games. He's going to go out there and he's been in this environment before. That doesn't mean he's not going to have some jitters, but he's going to know how to get in that zone." Notre Dame returns only two offensive starters but one of them is running back Kyren Williams who had 1,125 yards and 13 touchdowns.
The Fighting Irish have not played a real road game in front of fans since 2019 since last year was a COVID mess. Kelly has been getting his team ready for the environment. “We spent a few team meetings already showing them the entrance [at FSU], the tight locker room and how difficult it is in that environment so they can prepare themselves,” said Kelly.
One of the concerns for Notre Dame on Sunday will be stopping the run. Florida State ranked 23rd in the country last year rushing the ball and they return their entire offensive line. The Fighting Irish already suffered a big loss, as projected starting junior linebacker Marist Liufau is out for the season with an ankle injury.
Florida State Seminoles
The Seminoles were the youngest team in college football a year ago and it showed, as they went just 3-6. Those players now have a year under their belts and should be better prepared for what lies ahead. Head coach Mike Norvell has also brought in 13 transfers with a combined 309 games of collegiate experience. The big question for Florida State is who will start at quarterback. Jordan Travis is back after throwing for 1,056 yards in eight games and he led the team in rushing with 569 yards. Transfer McKenzie Milton threw for 8,683 yards and 72 touchdowns in three years at UCF. "Pretty remarkable, just the things that he's been able to do coming off that injury a few years back," Norvell said to the media about Milton.
Last season the Seminoles played well for a quarter against Notre Dame and led 17-14 before falling apart and losing 42-26. "I was obviously disappointed in the outcome, but I was pleased with the way that our guys competed.” Norvell said to the media, “That's something that coming into the program last year, we had to be more consistent in the overall way that we compete. Start to finish, in good times and in bad times.”
If Florida State is to improve on last year’s result against the Irish they have to stop the run. Notre Dame rushed for 353 yards on 42 attempts with Williams getting 185 yards and two touchdowns. FSU returns two players on the line and they added converted defensive end Dennis Briggs who has been one of the best players in camp.
Notre Dame vs. Florida State Prediction
I am never a big fan of laying points on the road and although I lean to Notre Dame a little bit, I think there is more value on the total. I am not impressed with either of these defenses. I think both teams will move the ball efficiently and that this game will go over the total.
Bookmaker Pick: Over 55
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