#6 Notre Dame (3-0) at
#14 Wisconsin (1-1)
Noon EST
Soldier Field, Chicago
FOX
Wisconsin -6.5 — O/U 45
This isn’t a rivalry, but it’s going to feel like one. Scheduling this game to be played in Chicago was brilliant, because both fan bases should be equally represented and will be rabid for their team’s success on the field. Add to that the drama of Notre Dame QB Jack Coan, the one-time Wisconsin starter and presumed Davy O’Brien candidate who lost his starting job to Graham Mertz following a preseason foot injury. Now Coan is the unquestioned leader of Notre Dame’s offense and will be lining up across from some of his best friends on Wisconsin’s defense.
And that defense is really the difference in this game. The Badgers just don’t give up many yards or points. Sure, there have only been two games, but one of those was against top competition in Penn State, and the Nittany Lions had to claw for all of their 297 yards and 16 points. Notre Dame, meanwhile, has been in two dogfights — against Florida State and Toledo, neither of which strike fear in the heart of the college football landscape. The two-touchdown win over Purdue also felt a lot closer than it was. Notre Dame is winning, but it’s not really dominating its opponents. It feels like the Irish are playing to the level of their opponents — and that will be a problem against Wisconsin.
I’d love nothing more than to see Coan get the upper hand against his former teammates, and I do expect him to have some success moving the ball on a few sustained drives. But without a rushing attack — and there won’t be much of one against this Badger defense — the Irish will be limited to pass, pass and more pass. It won’t be much different when Wisconsin has the ball, because Notre Dame’s defense is also pretty good. But when two good defenses face off in a game of this magnitude, it’s always wise to side with the one likely to make a play or two that will change the momentum. That slides the scale in Wisconsin’s favor.
Prediction: Wisconsin 23, Notre Dame 20
Record:
This week: SU – 3-2; ATS – 2-2-1; O/U – 3-2-0
Overall: SU – 150-30; ATS – 57-61-3; O/U – 58-60-3
(Results in parentheses)
| Saturday, September 25 | |||
| Matchup | Time | TV | Prediction |
| #6 Notre Dame (+6.5) vs. #14 Wisconsin (O/U 45)** | Noon | FOX | Wisconsin, 23-20 |
| #2 Georgia (-35) at Vanderbilt (O/U 53) | Noon | SECN | Georgia, 41-10 |
| Missouri (-1.5) at Boston College (O/U 58) | Noon | ESPN2 | Boston College, 33-30 |
| Bowling Green (+31) at Minnesota (O/U 51) | Noon | ESPNU | Minnesota, 45-7 |
| Wagner (NL) at Temple | Noon | ESPN+ | Temple, 41-10 |
| Miami (Ohio) (+7.5) at Army (O/U 48.5) | Noon | CBSSN | Army, 31-20 |
| FIU (+11.5) at Central Michigan (O/U 55.5) | Noon | ESPN+ | Central Michigan, 34-20 |
| Richmond (NL) at Virginia Tech | Noon | ACCN | Virginia Tech, 34-14 |
| #23 LSU (-2.5) at Mississippi State (O/U 57) | Noon | ESPN | LSU, 30-24 |
| Boise State (-9) at Utah State (O/U 70) | Noon | CBS | Boise State, 45-35 |
| Villanova (NL) at #11 Penn State | Noon | BTN | Penn State, 34-14 |
| New Hampshire (NL) at Pittsburgh | Noon | ESPN+ | Pittsburgh, 38-27 |
| Ohio (+14.5) at Northwestern (O/U 48) | Noon | BTN | Northwestern, 35-14 |
| SMU (+9.5) at TCU (O/U 65.5) | Noon | FS1 | TCU, 38-30 |
| Texas Tech (+9) at #21 Texas (O/U 62) | Noon | ABC | Texas, 41-27 |
| Central Connecticut (NL) at Miami (Fla.) | Noon | ESPN3 | Miami, 54-7 |
| UMass (+36) at #20 Coastal Carolina (O/U 65) | 1 p.m. | ESPN+ | Coastal Carolina, 54-14 |
| San Jose State (+2.5) at Western Michigan (O/U 63) | 2 p.m. | ESPN+ | San Jose State, 31-27 |
| Texas State (+6.5) at Eastern Michigan (O/U 62.5) | 2 p.m. | ESPN+ | Eastern Michigan, 34-24 |
| Toledo (-5) at Ball State (O/U 56) | 2 p.m. | ESPN+ | Ball State, 28-24 |
| Washington State (+15) at Utah (O/U 53.5) | 2:30 p.m. | P12N | Utah, 38-20 |
| Maine (NL) at Northern Illinois | 2:30 p.m. | ESPN3 | Northern Illinois, 38-17 |
| #17 Arkansas (+4.5) vs. #4 Texas A&M (O/U 47)* | 3:30 p.m. | CBS | Arkansas, 24-21 |
| Rutgers (+20.5) at #22 Michigan (O/U 49.5) | 3:30 p.m. | ABC | Michigan, 31-14 |
| Wyoming (-30.5) at UConn (O/U 54) | 3:30 p.m. | CBSSN | Wyoming, 41-7 |
| #13 Iowa State (-7) at Baylor (O/U 47.5) | 3:30 p.m. | FOX | Iowa State, 27-17 |
| Colorado State (+23.5) at #8 Iowa (O/U 44.5) | 3:30 p.m. | FS1 | Iowa, 34-14 |
| UTSA (+3) at Memphis (O/U 66.5) | 3:30 p.m. | ESPNU | Memphis, 34-30 |
| #7 Clemson (-10) at N.C. State (O/U 47.5) | 3:30 p.m. | ESPN | Clemson, 24-10 |
| Towson (NL) at San Diego State | 3:30 p.m. | STAD | San Diego State, 41-10 |
| Louisville (-1.5) at Florida State (O/U 61.5) | 3:30 p.m. | ESPN2 | Louisville, 41-27 |
| Illinois (+11) at Purdue (O/U 53) | 3:30 p.m. | BTN | Purdue, 30-20 |
| Kent State (+14.5) at Maryland (O/U 70) | 3:30 p.m. | BTN | Maryland, 41-17 |
| Kansas (+16) at Duke (O/U 57) | 4 p.m. | ACCN | Duke, 41-21 |
| Georgia State (+27) at #18 Auburn (O/U 57) | 4 p.m. | SECN | Auburn, 45-10 |
| Arkansas State (+14) at Tulsa (O/U 62.5) | 5 p.m. | ESPN+ | Tulsa, 34-27 |
| Charleston Southern (NL) at East Carolina | 6 p.m. | ESPN+ | East Carolina, 41-7 |
| Louisiana (-14) at Georgia Southern (O/U 53.5) | 6 p.m. | ESPN+ | Louisiana, 34-17 |
| Buffalo (-13.5) at Old Dominion (O/U 51) | 6 p.m. | ESPN+ | Buffalo, 34-14 |
| UCLA (-5) at Stanford (O/U 58.5) | 6 p.m. | P12N | Stanford, 38-34 |
| Texas Southern (NL) at Rice | 6:30 p.m. | ESPN3 | Rice, 56-7 |
| Tennessee (+18.5) at #12 Florida (O/U 63.5) | 7 p.m. | ESPN | Florida, 38-21 |
| Kentucky (-5) at South Carolina (O/U 48.5) | 7 p.m. | ESPN2 | Kentucky, 24-20 |
| Nebraska (+5) at Michigan State (O/U 52) | 7 p.m. | FS1 | Michigan State, 27-20 |
| North Texas (+11) at Louisiana Tech (O/U 64.5) | 7 p.m. | STAD | Louisiana Tech 44-27 |
| #24 Kansas State (+5.5) at #25 Oklahoma State (O/U 46.5) | 7 p.m. | ESPN+ | Oklahoma State, 27-23 |
| Navy (+19) at Houston (O/U 48) | 7 p.m. | ESPNU | Houston, 35-14 |
| #15 North Carolina (+12.5) vs. Georgia Tech (O/U 63.5)*** | 7:30 p.m. | ACCN | North Carolina, 34-20 |
| Southern Miss (+45.5) at #1 Alabama (O/U 58.5) | 7:30 p.m. | SECN | Alabama, 48-7 |
| West Virginia (+17) at #2 Oklahoma (O/U 55.5) | 7:30 p.m. | ABC | Oklahoma, 38-24 |
| Akron (+48.5) at #9 Ohio State (O/U 66.5) | 7:30 p.m. | BTN | Ohio State, 56-10 |
| Hawaii (-17) at New Mexico State (O/U 62.5) | 8 p.m. | Bally | Hawaii, 41-27 |
| Indiana (-9) at Western Kentucky (O/U 62.5) | 8 p.m. | CBSSN | Indiana, 41-24 |
| Troy (-24) at Louisiana-Monroe (O/U 50) | 8 p.m. | ESPN+ | Troy, 37-10 |
| FAU (+4) at Air Force (O/U 54) | 8 p.m. | FS2 | Air Force, 24-21 |
| UAB (+3.5) at Tulane (O/U 54.5) | 8 p.m. | ESPN+ | Tulane, 31-23 |
| New Mexico (-1) at UTEP (O/U 54) | 9 p.m. | ESPN+ | New Mexico, 31-27 |
| California (+7.5) at Washington (O/U 46.5) | 9:30 p.m. | P12N | Washington, 27-17 |
| USF (+23) at #19 BYU (O/U 54) | 10:15 p.m. | ESPN2 | BYU, 38-13 |
| Arizona (+28.5) at #10 Oregon (O/U 59) | 10:30 p.m. | ESPN | Arizona, 44-14 |
| Oregon State (+11) at USC (O/U 62) | 10:30 p.m. | FS1 | USC, 37-23 |
| Colorado (+14) at Arizona State (O/U 45) | 10:30 p.m. | ESPNU | Arizona State, 24-17 |
* — at Soldier Field, Chicago
* — Southwest Classic at AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
*** — at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta
| Friday, September 24 | |||
| Matchup | Time | TV | Prediction |
| Middle Tennessee (+3) at Charlotte (O/U 56) | 6:30 p.m. | CBSSN | Charlotte, 27-21 (Charlotte, 42-39) |
| Wake Forest (+3.5) at Virginia (O/U 68.5) | 7 p.m. | ESPN2 | Virginia, 31-27 (Wake Forest, 37-17) |
| Liberty (-6.5) at Syracuse (O/U 54) | 8 p.m. | ACCN | Liberty, 28-23 (Syracuse, 24-21) |
| UNLV (+30.5) at Fresno State (O/U 59.5) | 10 p.m. | CBSSN | Fresno State, 41-14 (Fresno State, 38-30) |
| Thursday, September 23 | |||
| Matchup | Time | TV | Prediction |
| Marshall (+7) at Appalachian State (O/U 59) | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN | Appalachian State, 41-27 (Appalachian State, 31-30) |
