Tulsa Golden Hurricane at Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Saturday, 10/30/2010, 2:30 PM EST, TV:  NBC
Opening Point Spread:  Notre Dame -10
Current Betting Line:  Notre Dame -8.5
Opening Total:  61.5
Current Total:  62

Tulsa steps away from Conference USA play this week and goes on the road to play the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Saturday.  The Golden Hurricane carry a 4-3 overall record and 2-2 conference mark into this contest and will be meeting Saturday’s opponent for the first time.  Quarterback G.J. Kinne knows how much this game means to the program and will be ready to perform on a national stage.  “No doubt about it, we have a chance to get the biggest win in school history,” Kinne stated.  “We’re excited about that.”  Many believe this game will be a shootout due to Tulsa’s offense and Notre Dame’s passing ability.  The team will be focusing in on taking care of the ball and winning the time of possession battle in practice this week.  Tulsa is 2-2 ATS as an underdog of 3.5 to 10 points the last three seasons.

The Golden Hurricane offense has gone over 500 yards in 29 games under head coach Todd Graham during his tenure and has hit that mark in four contests this season.  Tulsa has also reached 40 points in four games this year, including a loss at East Carolina and wins over Central Arkansas, Memphis and Tulane.  Bettors need to pay close attention and click here for the college football lines.  On the other side of the ball, after allowing 1,563 total yards in the first three games this year, Tulsa’s defense has given up 1,540 total yards in the last four contests, 136 yards less per game than the first three.  The team is very young and has seven freshmen have started games, including three true freshmen.

Notre Dame dropped a disappointing 35-17 contest to Navy last week and now must face a dangerous spread offense on Saturday.  “I think probably the biggest thing is don’t let Navy affect how you play against Tulsa,” said head coach Brian Kelly.  The Fighting Irish are now 4-4 on the season and the program must refocus in becoming bowl eligible.  They are favored over this week’s opponent, then host Utah before finishing with Army and at USC.  Kelly’s team is 3-2 in Notre Dame Stadium in 2010 and have a home record of 113-44-1 over the last 25 years.  The team owns a 55-10-1 mark in games when the opponent is making its first visit to the Stadium.  Notre Dame is 12-17 ATS the past three seasons.

The Fighting Irish have been a disciplined team despite the mediocre record in ranking third in the country in fewest penalties per game, at 4.63.  Notre Dame still have a great chance of closing out the season strong, especially considering Kelly’s 37-10 record as a coach since the start of the 2007 season.  Offensively, the rushing game has been virtually non-existent all year, ranking 98th in the country.  Quarterback Dayne Crist has completed 59.6 percent of his passes for 2,033 yards and 15 touchdowns, ranking among the top 30 signal callers in the country in passing yards per game.  He hopes that wide receiver Michael Floyd will return to action this week after sitting out the Navy game with a hamstring injury.

Bettors will find that the Golden Hurricane are 1-5 ATS in their last six games as a road underdog, while the Fighting Irish step in with a 4-1 ATS mark after suffering an ATS loss.

Maddux Sports is enjoying a fantastic college football season and is ready for another full week of winning selections for the final weekend of October.