Notre Dame Fighting Irish Betting Odds – CFB Football Future Lines
NCAA Football Futures Betting – Notre Dame Fighting Irish – Poised for a Comeback
Today we take a look at the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, a team that has won only ten games in the last two seasons.
2008 Record: 7-6 SU & ATS
Three-Year record (’06-’08): 20-18 SU, 16-21-1 ATS
NCAA Football Odds
To Win National title +2200
Under 9 wins -135
Over 9 wins -105
Notre Dame is one of those programs where seven wins just won’t do, even if that seventh victory was a sensational 49-21 rout of the host Hawaii Rainbows in the Hawaii Bowl game. This is another pivotal year in Charlie Weis’ tenure, and so it is good news for him that he is getting ten of his starters back on offense.
The one who will have most of the spotlight on him, of course, is Jimmy Clausen, who came to South Bend with as much hype and circumstance as anyone is recent memory, and has been on a steady learning curve. This progress culminated in his 401 passing yards, with five touchdowns in that Hawaii Bowl game. On the season, Clausen had 25 touchdowns but also 17 interceptions, which came even though he went through one period where he had thrown 132 passes without a pickoff. With right tackle Sam Young headed toward a very high spot in next year’s NFL Draft, there is no excuse for the Irish not being able to run the football better. This was a team that was 100th in the nation on the ground. 
The top four rushers return, including Armando Allen, who was the only one to gain more than 500 yards. Maybe they’ll find something with freshman Cierre Wood, who was one of the top running backs available.
This year’s big play man, both for Clausen and on the special teams unit, will once again be Golden Tate, a wide receiver who averaged 18.6 yards a catch and evokes memories of people like Tim Brown and Rocket Ismail. He is one of the best in the country, and he has a very strong partner in speedy Michael Floyd, who had 719 yards as a freshman. This duo will cause nightmares for opposing defensive coordinators.
Speaking of defense, the story with Notre Dame is that it is rather inexperienced in the front seven and very experienced in the secondary. Up front, they have newcomers like redshirt freshman Kapron Lewis-Moore who will be playing in a system the returnees will have to adjust to, which is the new 4-3, a transition from last year’s 3-4 alignment. At linebacker, it appear Weis and defensive coordinator Jon Tenuta will looking for input from new blood, like prize freshman recruits Manti Te’o and Zeke Motta, both of whom were rated among the top 20 in their class.
In the defensive backfield, there are five different players who at one time or another have been starters. Kyle McCarthy and Harrison Smith are an outstanding pair of safeties, among the best duos in the country. Cornerback Darrin Wells started eleven games as a sophomore and redshirted last year. This is the strength of the team.
The over/under for wins is nine at BetUS, but the schedule is not too back-breaking. Games that are very winnable include: Nevada, Purdue, Washington, Washington State, Navy, Connecticut and Stanford. Games that are probably winnable come against Michigan and Boston College. They won’t beat USC, but the home game against Michigan State and the visit to Pittsburgh could go either way. We could be looking at a push here, but I’ll give Notre Dame and Weis the benefit of the doubt and make a mild recommendation for the “over” at -105 in the BetUS NCAA football futures betting odds.
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3 replies on “Notre Dame Fighting Irish 2009 Football Future Lines”
I would stay away from this one. Those Nevada and Uconn games are not as easy as you think they will be. Even with those wins they are headed towards a push at best as I think ND loses to MSU and Pitt. Plus they have to win in Ann Arbor just to get to 9. It is doable for this team but I think staying away from this one is your best bet.
Weis will have to work some serious magic this year
Over the last two years Notre Dame has taken a big step back. However, the players were just not there for Coach Charlie Weis to be successful. As much as everybody likes to blame Coach Weis, it is really not entirely his fault that the Irish have won just ten games over the last two seasons. The last two years the Irish have been young –they are not anymore.
The Notre Dame defense was not as bad as it often looked last year. Coordinator Jon Tenuta wants to blitz and blitz a lot, but he did not have the experienced players to do it last season. This year should be different. The Irish will be moving to a 4-3 defense and it is at linebacker where holes need to be filled. Brian Smith is an experienced player, but players like Toryan Smith and Scott Smith are capable of making a big impact. The line is in great shape despite the absence of Justin Brown and Pat Kuntz. End Kapron Lewis-Moore and tackle Ian Williams will be a dominating force, but it is Ethan Johnson, who can play both end and tackle that will turn the Irish frontline into something special. As good as the line is, the secondary could be better. Safety Kyle McCarthy is a superstar and the team’s leading tackler a year ago. With Harrison Smith by his side and corners Robert Blanton, Raeshon McNeil and Darrin Walls back, the Notre Dame secondary is in for a good year.
With four starters returning to the offensive line, and the return of Paul Duncan who started 11 games in 2007, the running game could be surprisingly good. It is not like the line was that good last year, but they are a year older and how much wiser and better they are this year compared to last year could be the difference between another disappointing season and a big bowl game for Notre Dame. Coach Weis’ job probably depends on it.