Two high profile teams that have been disappointing get together on Saturday with Notre Dame favored at home against Pittsburgh. Since this game is on NBC it will get some added attention although the way both teams have played they don’t deserve it. The Fighting Irish are 6-point favorites in college football betting odds at Sbg global. Pittsburgh 3-1 in Last Four vs. Irish – The Panthers have won three of the last four meetings against Notre Dame including last year when they beat the Irish by a score of 27-22. Pittsburgh has defeated Florida International and New Hampshire this season but lost big games against Utah and Miami. Notre Dame won last week against Boston College but in the previous three weeks they lost against Michigan, Michigan State and Stanford. If the Irish can get this win their schedule gets easier with games coming up against Western Michigan, Navy and Tulsa.
Pittsburgh Runners – The Panthers were expecting a big year out of Dion Lewis but he was hurt last week and it was Ray Graham who ran for 277 yards and three touchdowns in his first start.
Notre Dame Passing – While Pittsburgh runs the ball to score, the Irish throw it. They should find the going pretty easy against a Pittsburgh secondary that is allowing 245 yards per game. Notre Dame is 17th in the country in passing offense as quarterback Dayne Crist has thrown ten TD passes this season.
Betting Numbers – Pittsburgh has been good in October going 16-5 ATS in their last 21 games in October. The Panthers are 1-3-1 ATS in their last 5 games as an underdog. Notre Dame is also a good team this month. They are 21-9 ATS in their last 30 games in October. The Fighting Irish are 5-11 ATS in their last 16 games overall. If you can’t choose between Pittsburgh and Notre Dame, and yes it is tough with these two teams, then you might want to play the total. Seven of the last ten Pittsburgh games as a road dog have gone under. If you are going to play a side then you probably have to hold your nose and take the points in college football odds and hope a Dave Wannstedt team can cover the spread. At least the underdog in this series is 5-0 ATS in the last five meetings so you do have a trend in your favor.