Northwestern's Gonna Need Some Luck o' the Irish

Published on 3-Nov-2018 by Sportbet Staff

Football - NCAA    NCAA Football Daily Stake

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Northwestern's Gonna Need Some Luck o' the Irish

When the university was founded in 1851, Northwestern was northwestern.

But time marches on, and so did American expansion.

The Wildcats may not be geographically correct anymore, but they are more of a threat to toss Notre Dame's CFP hopes into no man's land.

 

The entire CFP scenario will have a hella better idea after this one's in the books.

Speaking of, Bovada has it at Notre Dame -10 with a total of 52. Enticingly, the moneyline for Northwestern is +280; it's -360 for the Fighting Irish.

Why bet on Notre Dame ...

Well, if you've bought into the CFP Selection Committee's eye-test criteria, this is your team.

The Fighting Irish are writing a notable story in 2018, but for spread bettors, they’re nothing special at just 4-4 ATS. What's more, dudes are12-0 SU in its last dozen games as a favorite of more than 7 points but a concerning 0-6 ATS in its last six games under the same circumstances.

An interesting stat to note, though, is that the Irish are 3-1 ATS in night games this season and missed covering by half a point against Navy last weekend.

 

Why bet on Northwestern ...

The past two weeks have been the Wildcats’ best all season in terms of points allowed and total yards against. Dudes have allowed an average of 16 points and 255.5 yards. As well, Northwestern's on a four-game winning streak and has caused six turnovers in its last three games, four forced fumbles and two interceptions.

It's also important to note that they're third in the Big Ten with just 1.1 passing touchdowns surrendered per game with Notre Dame’s prolific Ian Book coming to town.

 

Instant analysis ...

If you're gonna eye something, look at the numbers. This one just looks closer than 10 points.

What's more, this is Notre Dame's second straight road game, even though it's only a short trip to Evanston from South Bend. Meanwhile, the Wildcats have enjoyed two straight weeks of home cooking. They're 12-1 SU in their last conference games, while the Irish have had an historical inability to cover spreads greater than 7 points.

This could easily be a close game, and an upset wouldn't be a total surprise. This could be a time to go for moneyline glory with the ATS hedging your position.

ATS pick: Northwestern +10
Moneyline: Northwestern +280

Bet at 5dimes

Result: Notre Dame 31 Northwestern 21 ... ATS Push ... Irish moneyline covers

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Sportbet Columnist: Josh Bailey

Aspiring to become the Mark Twain of sports writing, Josh has been labelled as the up-&-coming sports writer of the year by absolutely nobody and the new heavy hitter in sports handicapping by his mother.