Wolverines vs Fighting Irish Football Spread/Handicapping
The 18th ranked Michigan Wolverines are set to take on the No. 11 Notre Dame Fighting Irish in what should be one of the best games in college football this Saturday. Both teams have encountered success early, and while Michigan fell to the Alabama Crimson Tide in week one, they’ve bounced back nicely heading into this week’s matchup.
No. 18 Michigan Wolverines (2-1) vs No. 11 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (3-0)
Saturday September 22, 2012
Notre Dame Stadium, Notre Dame, IN
7:30 PM ET
Moneyline: Notre Dame -220, Michigan +190 from GTBets.eu
Spread: Notre Dame -5.5
O/U: 50.5
At this point, it looks as if the game will come down to Notre Dame’s defenses versus Denard Robinson and the offense of the Wolverines.
Michigan Wolverines
The Michigan Wolverines entered the 2012 season with a lot of hype surrounding them, only to be shut down and embarrassed by the Alabama Crimson Tide in week one. Denard Robinson struggled throwing the ball (11/26, 200 YDS, 1 TD, 2 INT), and the rushing game was never established.
However, since the first week of the season, this team has looked like a whole new ball club.
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Having averaged 47 points per game since the opener, Robinson has been able to boost his rushing game up to 351 yards on the season with an average of 8.8 yards per carry and four touchdowns. His passing game is still inconsistent (6 TD, 4 INT) but he’s boosted his completion percentage to nearly 55 percent on the year.
The last time these two teams faced each other, Robinson went off for 338 yards and four scores through the air—not to mention 108 yards and one touchdown on the ground. The only problem? That big-time performance came with three big-time interceptions.
Notre Dame’s defense has been top-notch this season, and they’re going to make life difficult for Robinson if they can keep him in between the tackles where they want him.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Notre Dame hasn’t started off this hot in a very long time. The team is 3-0 following an impressive victory over No. 10 Michigan State last weekend, and they’ve showcased one of the best defenses in the country up to this point in 2012.
To start 4-0 would be huge for a team with a tough schedule ahead, but they’ll first have to defeat a Michigan squad that has been a tough group to get past in recent history. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
The Wolverines’ offensive line has improved this season, but the question is, can they match the prowess of Notre Dame’s defensive front? If they can, the game should be theirs. If they can’t, the Fighting Irish should dominate defensively, making it difficult for anybody to make plays on Michigan’s side of the ball.
On paper, the Fighting Irish are the slim favorites in this contest. Their defense has been outstanding and they defeated a top 10 team handedly just last week; but one thing they’ll be reminded of this weekend is that there may not be a more versatile player in all of college football than Denard Robinson.
Robinson has beaten the Fighting Irish all three times he’s face them in his career (once as a backup), and is looking for No. 4 this weekend—last season’s faceoff proved to be one of the best, most dramatic games of the year. These two teams have a history of going down to the wire, and the past few seasons, it’s been the Wolverines emerging on top.
This game should be close, but keep your eyes out for the upset in Notre Dame.
Trends
Wolverines are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games after allowing less than 170 yards passing in their previous game.
Wolverines are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 vs. INDEP.
Under is 4-0 in Wolverines last 4 road games vs. a team with a winning home record
Under is 4-1 in Wolverines last 10 vs. a team with a winning record.
Under is 4-0 in Fighting Irish last 4 games following a S.U. win.
Under is 3-0-1 in Fighting Irish last 4 vs. Big Ten.
O/U Pick: Under 50.5
Score Prediction: Michigan 24 – Notre Dame 20
