The Toledo Rockets plan to take on the most challenging foe on their schedule, Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish are ranked ninth per The Associated Press, a daunting task for Toledo. Is Toledo up to the challenge? Or will Notre Dame trample their unranked opponent?
Game: Toledo Rockets (1-0) at Notre Dame Fighting Irish (1-0) Location: Notre Dame Stadium Time: 2:30 p.m. ET Television: NBC |
Toledo Rockets vs Notre Dame Fighting Irish Betting Lines
Team | Point Spread | Moneyline | Over/Under | Team Total |
Toledo | +16.5 | +650 | 54 | |
Notre Dame | -16.5 | -900 | 54 |
Head-to-Head
These teams have never played. We know that Notre Dame is good at preparing for teams, but are they good enough to cover? Make sure to check out the up-to-date NCAA odds at BetUS.
Toledo Rockets
Next game: Home vs. Colorado State University
Last Game
The Toledo Rockets come into Saturday’s game boasting a big win over Norfolk State. The Rockets throttled the Spartans 49-10 after a great outing from their special teams group. The Rockets blocked two punts and returned each for touchdowns. The offense wasn’t bad either, and Carter Bradley threw for 183 yards and a touchdown. Toledo snagged four rushing touchdowns as well.
Unfortunately, although Toledo won the game, it didn’t cover the spread. The Rockets came in as 39.5-point favorites per BetUS but only won by 39. The total went over the expected 56 though, remember that.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Next game: Home vs. Purdue Boilermakers
Last Game
Notre Dame got their season off to a fast start against the Florida State Seminoles. It was a back and forth game where leads kept changing. The score was tied 38-38 after 60 minutes, and the teams went to overtime. FSU missed a field goal and Notre Dame connected on its attempt for a 41-38 victory.
It was a huge win for the Fighting Irish, but a loss for them at the sportsbook. They came into the game as 7-point favorites and were a few points short. The total went well over the expected 53 points, but it was still a disappointment that Notre Dame couldn’t cover.
Betting on the Game
Points spread
As these teams prepare to face each other, there are a few things you need to remember. First, Notre Dame is in a completely different class than the Toledo Rockets. We aren’t saying that it’s impossible for an unranked team to beat a ranked one, just unlikely. The second thing you need to remember is this is more about the spread.
Once you begin to factor the points spread into the likely scores and odds, you can make a good bet here. We know that the Fighting Irish are surrendering 16.5 points. We also know that they came in as 7-point favorites against Florida State and were unable to cover.
All of these factors matter, their previous history against the spread is incredibly important. Against the spread, Notre Dame hasn’t been good, but it has gone 20-0 in their last 20 home games. The Irish have the edge over Toledo in the passing game, giving them a better chance of scoring quickly and often.
Toledo has the edge over Notre Dame in terms of rushing, but that’s where the buck stops. They also got much closer to covering their Week 1 spread, only missing by a half-point.
Moneyline
The Toledo Rockets come in sportsbook underdogs at +650, which would be great if we believed there was value there. However, as we stated above, the value for Toledo here is against the spread, not on the moneyline.
Over/Under
The total here is at 54; with the points, these two scored in Week 1, the over is a no-brainer. Neither of these teams has incredible defenses, so the over is a much safer bet. Remember that the totals went over in each of their Week 1 games, making it likely here. Toledo has some special teams talent as well that could net them some points on Saturday.