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Louisville and Notre Dame square off in possibly the least-hyped of the four ranked matchups on the slate. However, there is an intriguing storyline as the Fighting Irish can no longer afford to suffer a loss if they want to make the College Football Playoff. The rest of Notre Dame's games will be must-watch moving forward. It is time to continue our college football odds series with a Louisville-Notre Dame prediction and pick.
Louisville is 3-0 in three home games to start the season. They dominated Austin-Peay and Jacksonville State to begin the season and took care of Georgia Tech in a tougher test last week. However, they've been nothing short of a 9.5-point favorite in any game, which presents Notre Dame as their first real test.
Notre Dame bounced back massively after their loss to Northern Illinois. They dominated Purdue 66-7 but returned to mediocrity after only beating Miami-Ohio 28-3 in last week's meeting.
Here are the College Football odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Football Odds: Louisville-Notre Dame Odds
Louisville: +6 (-110)
Moneyline: +190
Notre Dame: -6 (-110)
Moneyline: -230
Over: 46.5 (-110)
Under: 46.5 (-110)
How to Watch Louisville vs. Notre Dame
Time: 3:30 PM ET/12:30 PM PT
TV: Peacock
Stream: fuboTV (Free Trial)
Why Louisville Could Cover The Spread/Win
Louisville will win the coaching matchup in this game. Marcus Freeman is slowly coaching himself out of a job in South Bend, and the Cardinal would have beaten the Fighting Irish last season if there wasn't such a talent disparity. Louisville's scheme dominated Freeman's offense. They tipped a pass, recorded a sack, or had a tackle for loss on 21% of Notre Dame's offensive plays. Joe Alt and the Fighting Irish offensive line persevered for the victory, but that star-studded group isn't exiting the locker room for Notre Dame in this game.
It's hard to trust Notre Dame on a week-to-week basis. If Louisville brings the same scheme in this game and pressures a quarterback in Riley Leonard who is already struggling, it could be a long day for the Notre Dame offense.
You may argue that Notre Dame could have a plan to combat Louisville's defense. However, the Cardinal ranks sixth in the nation in creating havoc, which made them successful against the Fighting Irish last season.
Why Notre Dame Could Cover The Spread/Win
Louisville's weak schedule might make the gap between these two teams closer than it should be. Notre Dame looked bad in their devastating loss to Northern Illinois, but they've been solid all-around other than that night. Jeff Brohm schemed well against Notre Dame last season, but he still has that aggressive offensive style that could get him into trouble against the Fighting Irish.
Louisville's defense isn't built to stop a rushing quarterback. This could be the game where Leonard figures out his issues and rebounds in front of a home fanbase that has given him some heat.
Final Louisville-Notre Dame Prediction & Pick
There is no reason to believe in either of these offenses. Louisville performed well against Notre Dame last season with an NFL-filled offensive line. It's hard to see Notre Dame getting any traction against them this season unless Leonard can run all over them.
Brohm's recent offensive decisions are another reason to take the under here. Louisville is running the sixth-lowest number of offensive plays in the nation. Brohm will try to chew the clock and put his less-talented roster in a position to pull off the upset.
Final Louisville-Notre Dame Prediction & Pick: Under 46.5 (-110)
