Notre Dame vs Florida State: Betting Odds, Picks, & Predictions (9/5/21)

Notre Dame vs Florida State Betting Odds

The #9 team in the country gets to kick off their season with a game against a tough Florida State team. Last year, Notre Dame made it to the College Football Playoff as the fourth seed and lost to the future champions in the Alabama Crimson Tide. The Fighting Irish lost many of their key players, including QB Ian Book, but they are at the point in their program where they can simply reload their talent and still contend for the title. The team is chock-full of talent as they have the 5th overall prospect in next year’s draft in CB Kyle Hamilton and RB Kyren Williams. Transfer QB Jack Coan should be the missing piece that puts the Fighting Irish over the top as they look to make the playoffs for the second year in a row. j

On the opposite side is a team that had a down year. Florida State has not been the same since QB Jameis Winston left the program. They just haven’t been the same as they struggle to put up points and can’t defend any team. But this year could be different as they have a new and talented quarterback in charge. QB Mckenzie Milton is the commander of the offense and he plays alongside young RB Jashuan Corbin, WR Keyshawn Helton, and TE Camren McDonald. Head coach Mike Norvell has been slowly turning the program around and his work will be put to the test in one of their hardest games of the season.

Check out the rest of the Week 1 College Football Odds.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish Odds ()

2020 Record: 10-2 (9-0 ACC)

The Fighting Irish were at the center of the national spotlight last year as they surprised many people when they made it as the fourth seed in the College Football Playoffs. They had a dominant rushing attack and great defense, but ultimately got overwhelmed by the best team in college football.

This year, they return their lead running back in Kyren Williams who had a great season rushing for 1,125 yards and 13 touchdowns. Williams is one of many 1st team AP All-Americans on Notre Dame as they have other studs like CB Kyle Hamilton. Hamilton is a lockdown corner who can also tackle and is regarded as the 5th best prospect in next year’s draft. What gets me most excited about this Notre Dame team is their new quarterback in transfer Jack Coan. Coan transferred from Wisconsin and has won the starting job. Coan is a solid quarterback as he threw for 2,727 yards, 18 TDS, and 5 INTS in 2019.

Notre Dame returns many of their players and that’s a good thing for them as they rushed for 211.1 yards a game, passed for 237.4 yards a game, and only let up 344.1 yards a game. While they did lose key leadership when guys like QB Ian Book and LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah got drafted, but this team is still really talented and should be near the top of the rankings at the end of the season.

Florida State Seminoles Odds ()

2020 Record: 3-6 (2-6 ACC)

Mike Norvell and the Seminoles struggled mightily in 2020. They were the 86th ranked offense as they only averaged 25.8 points per game in a sport where not many teams struggle to score. They were also gashed on defense as they let up 257.1 passing yards a game and 199.2 rushing yards per game. This would have them ranked as the 107th ranked defense in the nation which is not something the fans in Tallahassee want to see.

This year could be a different story as they have a ton of talent entering or staying in the program. Headlining the new players is their new star quarterback in transfer QB Mckenzie Milton. Milton was a stud at UCF before missing time and his starting job due to a knee injury. Milton is an electrifying player as he is a great runner and passer. The last time we saw Milton play was in 2018 where he had 2,663 yards, 25 TDS, and 6 INTS. Milton should provide the juice to an offense that needs a spark. Other players to look out for are RB Jashaun Corbin, WR Keyshawn Helton, and TE Camren McDonald as you will get to know their names because they are going to get the ball a lot.

Prediction & Pick

Florida State (+7)

I’m only picking the Seminoles as a tragedy lock for this weekend. Legendary Florida State head coach, Bobby Brown, has recently passed away and I think that is a huge factor in this game. Couple this with the fact that crowds haven’t been allowed into stadiums for over a year due to COVID-19 and you got yourself an upset brewing.

When these two teams played last year, Florida State played them tough in the first half before losing to the superior Notre Dame team 26-42. Yes, Notre Dame is a far better team as they have better talent on both sides of the ball along with better coaching. But the Florida State crowd is going to be loud, they are going to be rowdy, and they are going to be cheering for a team that is much improved from last year.

By the end of the game, the Fighting Irish are probably going to use their talent to edge out a win. But, I think people are sleeping on the Seminoles and this should be a much closer game than people anticipate.