Notre Dame Fighting Irish Vs. Michigan Wolverines 9/22/12 Steve’s Free College Football Pick Against the Spread
The Michigan Wolverines face a tough test on Saturday as the Wolverines head to South Bend to face off against their rival the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are off to a strong start to their 2012 campaign as the Irish are currently sitting at 3-0 on the year. The Irish are fresh off a strong showing against the Michigan State Spartans on the road under the lights last Saturday. The Irish started Everett Golson under center against the Spartans, and Golson was solid for the Fighting Irish, throwing for 178 yards and a score, while also running one in as well. The Irish as a team only put up 300 yards of offense against the Spartans, but there is really not much surprise there as the Spartans have one of the top defenses in the nation this season. The Irish defense was outstanding against the Spartan attack, holding MSU to just 237 yards of offense on the day and keeping Michigan State out of the end zone. The Irish offense is still trying to find it's rhythm and identity, but this is one of the better ND defensive units we've seen in a while as the Irish are allowing just 10 points per game this season.
The Michigan Wolverines improved to 2- on the year after the Wolverines took care of business against the Umass Minutemen. The Wolverines defeated the Minutemen 63-13 on the day as the Minutemen were more than happy to travel to Ann Arbor and cash their check. The Wolverines put up 585 yards of offense against Massachusetts on Saturday, With DeNard Robinson doing the damage with 291 yards through the air, and 106 on the ground. The Wolverines enjoyed the return of their star running back in Fitzgerald Toussaint, who rushed 15 times for 85 yards and a score, and hopefully his return will lighten the load somewhat for Robinson. Defensively the Wolverines did as expected and completely shut down the Umass offense. The Minutemen gained just 259 yards on the day against the Wolverines. Michigan's defense will have their hands full this Saturday however as the Irish are playing better and better every week, especially now that Kelly seems to have found his quarterback.
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are just 2-4 against the spread in their last six games, and Notre Dame is just 1-5 against the spread in their last six games against the Wolverines. Michigan has won five of their last six against Notre Dame, and the total has gone over in five of the last six games between the Wolverines and Fighting Irish in South Bend.
This is a tough call, and personally I am staying away from this one. I do think there is some value here with the Wolverines, as Michigan is familiar with Notre Dame's defensive scheme and personnel. The Irish and the Wolverines are pretty evenly matched, and with that being the case I'll take the points and the more seasoned quarterback.
No comments:
Post a Comment