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Notre Dame Fighting Irish Football 2020 Betting Preview

What are the odds that the Notre Dame Fighting Irish exceed their posted win total and/or win the National Championship in 2020? We break it all down and tell you the best bets.

Frankie Taddeo

Notre Dame finished up 2019 with an 11-2 SU record, the third straight season and the fourth time in the past five seasons in which the program has attained at least 10 wins. In addition to Notre Dame’s four neutral-site games, it will also have to find a way to replace the holes left by the departures of star tight end Cole Kmet, wide receiver Chase Claypool and defensive end Julian Okwara to the NFL. The success of the 2020 season clearly rests upon the arm as well as the legs of versatile quarterback Ian Book.

According to PointsBet sportsbook, their season win total projection stands at 9.5 wins juiced to the under at odds of -115.

2020 Notre Dame Win Total Odds

Odds courtesy of PointsBet
Odds courtesy of PointsBet

2020 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Schedule

Week 0 - Aug. 29 vs Navy (Dublin, Ireland)

Week 2 - Sept. 12 vs Arkansas

Week 3 - Sept. 19 vs Western Michigan

Week 4 - Sept. 26 vs Wake Forest (Bank of America Stadium; Charlotte, NC)

Week 5 - Oct. 3 vs Wisconsin (Lambeau Field; Green Bay, Wis)

Week 6 - Oct. 10 vs Stanford

Week 7 - Oct. 17 at Pittsburgh

Week 8 - BYE

Week 9 - Oct. 31 vs Duke

Week 10 - Nov. 7 vs Clemson

Week 11 - Nov. 14 at Georgia Tech (Mercedes-Benz Stadium; Atlanta, Ga.)

Week 12 - Nov. 21 vs Louisville

Week 13 - Nov. 28 at USC

It’s a pretty safe bet that even if Notre Dame’s game versus Navy is played, it will not take place in Dublin, Ireland due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Nevertheless, Notre Dame should not have issues out of the gate, as the oddsmakers have them listed as 16.5-point favorites over Navy, with their home-opener another cake-walk as 17.5-point favorites over Arkansas in South Bend. In Week 4, they are 23-point favorites over Wake Forest at a neutral site game at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The oddsmakers have their game in Lambeau Field against Wisconsin as a virtual coin flip with the Irish installed as 2-point underdogs in early wagering. The sportsbooks do not see any problems standing in the way of Notre Dame in Week 6, installing them as healthy 18-point favorites over Stanford.

The second time we find the Irish listed as underdogs comes in arguably their hardest game of the season, catching 7.5-points at home versus top-ranked Clemson in Week 10. Notre Dame will finish up the regular season as 14-point home favorites against Louisville before a season finale on the west coast against USC in a game the sportsbooks have listed as a pick ‘em.

Odds for Notre Dame Players to Win 2020 Heisman Trophy

As we have previously highlighted here at SI Gambling, Notre Dame currently has only one player listed in the Heisman Trophy odds at William Hill: quarterback Ian Book (28/1). Seven times since the Heisman Memorial Trophy was originated in 1935, a Notre Dame player has been given the honor as the nation’s top college football player. Most recently, the school saw Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver Tim Brown garner the honor 23 years ago (1987).

Notre Dame Odds to Win 2020-21 College Football Playoff

Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook
Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook

After a deeper dive, the oddsmakers envision three difficult games (Wisconsin, Clemson and USC) in 2020. I landed on the Irish coming away with nine victories that bettors should be able to easily count on. The odds of 25/1 for Notre Dame to win the College Football Playoff fails to offer enough value. According to the odds, I land upon at most a two-loss season for the Irish in 2020. Therefore, of all of the available Notre Dame betting markets on the board, the best value is the Irish emerging with no fewer than 10 wins.

The Fighting Irish have a good chance to get to double-digit wins once again thanks to a combination of a seasoned signal-caller in Book as well as a favorable schedule. The hardest opponent the Irish will face all year (Clemson) is at home, which I envision will be a loss. That makes a season win total market, which is set at 9.5 juiced to the over at odds of -105, excellent value if Notre Dame can somehow come away with a split versus Wisconsin and USC.

The Play: OVER 9.5 wins (-105)

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Frankie Taddeo
FRANKIE TADDEO

Frankie Taddeo is a successful high-stakes fantasy football player who created the first-ever DFS program offered in a Las Vegas sportsbook. Besides contributing NFL fantasy analysis with a Vegas slant, Frankie primarily performs as Sports Illustrated's Senior Betting Analyst providing his significant experience and resources in the sports betting scene. 

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