– Last Updated on December 22, 2022 3:41 pm
Free Week 4 Prediction: Minutemen vs Fighting Irish Odds
Week 4 College football betting sees the UMass Minutemen taking on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish Saturday September 26th at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend. Cappers Picks provides complimentary handicapping picks all NCAA football season long so stay tuned for more FREE college football predictions.
Week 4
UMass Minutemen (0-2) vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (3-0)
Date: Saturday, September 26th
Time: 3:30 PM
Venue: Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend
NCAA Football Spread: UMass +29.0
NCAA Betting Total: 59.0
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There were two things Notre Dame needed to focus on to beat Georgia Tech at home last Saturday and they did both of those perfectly.
They needed redshirt freshmen quarterback DeShone Kizer to protect the football and they needed their defense to stick to their assignments against the high-powered Georgia Tech triple-option.
The Irish won 30-22 but controlled the game much more than that score would indicate as they gave up two touchdowns in the final minute.
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This week’s challenge will be much different than their ranked opponent last week who came to town favored to win
the football game. This week the Irish will look to avoid being a victim to the dreaded trap game.
UMass
The Minutemen lost a heartbreaker to Temple last week in a game that was ultimately turned in Temple’s favor when a UMass extra point was blocked and returned by Temple for two points.
The extra point would’ve given the Minutemen a four point lead with 80 seconds left but instead allowed the Owls to cut the lead to one needing only a field goal to win the game.
Temple came down and kicked the game-winning field goal with 12 seconds left as UMass fell to 0-2.
While Temple had been impressive in their first two wins and UMass gave them their best shot, the Minutemen will face a completely different challenge when they come to Notre Dame on Saturday afternoon.
They will be up against a team with national title hopes and coming off a big time win against another ranked opponent.
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The hope for UMass is that they can catch the Irish coming off a high and fighting through injuries and surprise them on their own turf.
It won’t be easy but they will have a chance if they stick to the passing game as that is likely the weaker part of the Irish defense.
The only real defensive struggle for the Irish this season came on some passing plays against Virginia a couple of weeks ago.
Notre Dame
As predicted last week, Brian Kelly gave Kizer a gameplan to execute to keep the Irish in the football game. He didn’t rely on Kizer to win the game but he gave him the tools to put the Irish in a strong position.
This week might be a chance for Kelly to let his freshmen quarterback loose a little bit. Kelly is well aware of the potential for a trap game against the Minutemen.
But it doesn’t mean if the Irish establish a lead, he won’t let Kizer go a little to see what he is really capable of.
The Notre Dame defense last week was remarkable. Every team knows what they’re getting when they face Georgia Tech but there are very few teams that can stop them.
The Irish defense stuck to their assignments and swarmed the Yellow Jackets play after play.
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The main goal for the Irish defense this week will be to stay healthy. They have lost a number of players on both sides of the ball to injuries and can’t afford too many more.
After three straight wins over Power 5 conference teams, the Irish will get a chance to breeze past the Minutemen as a date at Clemson awaits them.
NCAA Football Handicapping Trends
• Notre Dame is 10-15-3 ATS as home favorite under Brian Kelly.
• The total has gone under in 23 of 34 home games under Brian Kelly.
• UMass is 5-1-1 ATS as away underdogs since the start of 2014.
• UMass is 6-2-1 ATS after a loss since the start of 2014.
Free Week 4 NCAA Football Prediction
The Notre Dame defense will be tested more than they were last week against the pass but it won’t be anything they can’t handle.
The goal of trying to stay healthy and the placement of this game between two ranked ACC opponents makes a 29 point spread too scary. Notre Dame will win the football game but it might not be pretty.
4* Free NCAA Betting Pick: UMass +29.0
UMass gets a nationally televised game against one of the best teams in the country but they fortunately might catch them in a trap. The Minutemen will not win this game but they will keep it within 30 points – even if it requires a couple late scores.
Week 4 Free Score Prediction: Notre Dame 38 – UMass 17
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