The Notre Dame Fighting Irish is finally starting to put things together this season. They’re riding a three game winning streak and are looking to make it four in a row when they host the Air Force Falcons this Saturday. In their last three games, the Irish have beaten Michigan State, Pittsburgh, and Purdue.
The Irish opened as a big favorite in this one. The opening number was 17 but that was immediately bet down by sharps and is currently sitting at 14 points. To make sure you’re getting the best number, navigate to our college football betting lines page. The wiseguys obviously think they have a good read on this game and the sharps do tend to lead bettors to valuable plays. Consider following their lead and backing the Falcons on the road.
Air Force is a physical, disciplined team. Being a service academy, that’s easy to imagine. But the point is this is a team that will keep fighting the whole game, even if they get into a hole. They will not simply give up. Playing a storied program like Notre Dame in South Bend will only add fuel to that fire. In the past three seasons, Air Force has lost by 16 or more points three times – TCU this year (16), BYU and Max Hall two seasons ago (17), and they got clobbered by TCU last year (31). But that was also the same TCU team that finished the season undefeated after beating Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl. Notre Dame is nowhere near that team’s level of play. This is a team that rarely loses by more than touchdowns, if they lose at all.
This is an experienced, talented Air Force team as well. Quarterback Tim Jefferson is back for what seems like the tenth straight season. Considering the Falcons run the triple option, his experience is very valuable for the offense. Tailback Asher Clark, an all-conference back, adds another threat to the backfield. Additionally, the offensive line has 3 starters back from last year, including all conference guard, A.J. Wallerstein. The defense, which was surprisingly stingy last season, has 7 starters back from last year.
But the Irish are a pretty good team too. They have a talented squad that, if not for turnovers, would be 5-0 instead of 3-2. In the preseason, Notre Dame was being tagged as a possible BCS bowl team. That seems unlikely at this point, though if they can run the table from here on out there’s still a chance that could happen.
A few weeks ago, coach Brian Kelly made an important switch at quarterback, benching Dayne Crist and starting Tommy Rees. Crist just wasn’t getting the job done and costly turnovers killed this team early on. Rees has been sharp. Last week against Purdue, Rees passed for over 250 yards, 3 tds, and 0 ints. He was certainly aided by a bruising ground game that racked up just under 300 yards for the game. Cierre Wood had a huge day, and Jonas Gray helped carry the load as well.
If Notre Dame can achieve that type of balance against Air Force, the Falcons could be in a world of trouble. But don’t underestimate the power of the triple option. Not only does it present unique challenges for the defense, it also disrupts offensive continuity. If the Falcons can maintain long drives and keep the Irish from getting into a rhythm, they should cover this spread. Also keep in mind that Notre Dame has lost to Navy each of the past two years. Last year the Midshipmen rushed 60 times for 367 yards, committed 0 penalties and had 0 turnovers. That is service academy football.
The wiseguys obviously like the Falcons here. Try to get as many points as you can. Good luck!
