Rice vs. Notre Dame Free Pick
SOUTH BEND, IN (The Spread) – Controversy follows Notre Dame heading into its 2014 season opener versus Rice today at 3:30PM ET.
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Four players were suspended by the Fighting Irish and will not play today, including senior receiver DaVaris Daniels, junior cornerback KeiVarae Russell, linebacker Kendall Moore and defensive lineman Ishaq Williams. At least Notre Dame can welcome back quarterback Everrett Golson, who was suspended for the 2013 season because of academic violations himself. Then again, the Irish have plenty of question marks for a defense led by new coordinator Brian VanGorder.
On the other side, Rice will hand the reigns of the offense to junior signal-caller Driphus Jackson, who threw six touchdown passes as a freshman in just 16 attempts. He’ll benefit from the team’s talented duo at receiver in Jordan Taylor and Dennis Parks, as well as a solid running game that features sophomore Charles Ross. The defense, meanwhile, returns six starters, including defensive tackle Christian Covington, who made the Outland Trophy preseason list.
According to oddsmakers from online sports book Bovada.lv, Notre Dame is currently listed as a 20.5-point favorite over Rice, while the over/under total is sitting at 51 points. The Irish opened as 24.5-point favorites but the spread has been bet down by over a field goal, while the total has gone from 52 down to 51.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL FREE PICK: Take the under. According to latest college football trends, the under is 25-10 in the Fighting Irish’s last 35 home games, 35-15-1 in their last 51 non-conference games and 35-16-1 in their last 52 games overall.
2014 COLLEGE FOOTBALL WEEK 1 FREE PICK: RICE/NOTRE DAME UNDER 51
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