Notre Dame vs. NC State picks, predictions: Week 2 college football computer picks, odds, betting lines

Expert game picks and predictions for Notre Dame vs. NC State as the Week 2 college football schedule kicks off on Saturday

So far, so good, watching Sam Hartman take the reins of the Fighting Irish offense after two big wins on the year and now Notre Dame hits the road again in an ACC matchup against NC State on Saturday in college football's Week 2 game action.

98 to 6. A perfect temperature for the Irish attack, outscoring Navy and Tennessee State by that 92-point margin behind an offense that is averaging 500.5 yards per game and an aerial assault led by Hartman, who is posting 295 yards on average, and a ground game good for 206 yards each time out.

The addition of transfer quarterback Brennan Armstrong is expected to give the NC State offense a similar boost, but it was the Wolfpack backs who did most of the work in last week's 10-point win over UConn. They posted 209 yards on the ground, almost doubling last year's average, coming into Saturday's home opener.

What do the experts think of the matchup? Let's see how the College Football Power Index computer prediction model projects the game.

Notre Dame vs. NC State picks, predictions

Notre Dame vs. NC State picks, predictions / USA Today Images

Notre Dame odds: The computers give the Fighting Irish the comfortable 78.4 percent chance to win the game outright and move to 3-0 on the year.

NC State odds: Conversely, the index favors the Wolfpack to win the game with a 21.6 percent likelihood despite playing at home and the quarterback change.

Point spread: The oddsmakers project a somewhat closer game, as Notre Dame is listed as 7.5 point favorites against NC State, according to the lines at SI Sportsbook.

Total: 49.5 points

Moneyline: ND -300 | NC +220

Notre Dame predictions: The index rates the Irish as the No. 6 team in the nation according to the latest 133 football rankings, estimated to be 20.5 points better than an average opponent, projected to win 9.5 games, and has a 17.2 percent shot to make the College Football Playoff.

NC State predictions: The computers rank the Wolfpack at No. 40 nationally, expected to be 6.7 points better than an average opponent, set to win 7.3 games this season.

Notre Dame vs. NC State schedule

When: Sat., Sept. 9
Time: 12 p.m. Eastern
TV: ABC network
Stream: fuboTV (Try for free)

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College Football Power Index

Football Power Index (FPI) college football rankings and computer prediction model are a measure of team strength that predicts a team’s future performance.

Rankings and scores predictions are based on 20,000 simulations of a team’s season, using a combination of analytics, including scores to date, quality of opponents, and a team’s schedule.

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College football rankings

According to AP top 25 poll

1. Georgia (58)
2. Michigan (2)
3. Alabama
4. Florida State (3)
5. Ohio State
6. USC
7. Penn State
8. Washington
9. Tennessee
10. Notre Dame
11. Texas
12. Utah
13. Oregon
14. LSU
15. Kansas State
16. Oregon State
17. North Carolina
18. Oklahoma
19. Wisconsin
20. Ole Miss
21. Duke
22. Colorado
23. Texas A&M
24. Tulane
25. Clemson

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