Virginia vs Notre Dame Picks: Fade Irish ATS on Saturday 11/16

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have been on a tear since getting upset by Northern Illinois. Now, they’re wide favorites against Virginia on the NCAAF odds in what could be a crucial game for the independent FBS team. Notre Dame is a title contender and deserves its praise. But it has also bolstered its stats by beating up on weak teams. Virginia is a step up and could just push back against ND.

TD HOOS, Malachi Fields finds pay dirt pic.twitter.com/XnYEkxw6fY

— Virginia Football (@UVAFootball) October 19, 2024

Virginia vs Notre Dame Game Information

• Game: Virginia Cavaliers (5-4, 3-3 ACC) vs Notre Dame Fighting Irish (8-1)
• Date/Time: Saturday, Nov. 16, 3:30 p.m. ET
• Location: Notre Dame Stadium, Notre Dame, IN
• Virginia vs Notre Dame Live Stream: Fubo.tv

Check out NCAA football news before making any bets on Saturday’s game.

2 Best Picks for Virginia vs Notre Dame

1. Fighting Irish Shut Down Cavaliers, Keep Total Under

Notre Dame puts up lofty scoring totals but its defense remains its strength, particularly the secondary. The Fighting Irish have held opponents to 11.9 points. More notably, they’ve held passing offenses to 148.6 yards at a 47.8% completion rate. That’s how they keep their opponents grounded even without their star cornerback. Thus, bet online here is the under.

The hosts will make life difficult for Virginia’s receivers. Anthony Colandrea, who has typically been efficient, could have one of his worst games. The Wahoos will struggle to create effective passing plays, which could lead to another low score.

Per Virginia vs Notre Dame betting trends, the Cavaliers already had several games where they were held to 24 points or fewer. All five of these games went under their totals. Notre Dame boasts a defense that is better than North Carolina or Louisville. We’ll be hard-pressed to see Virginia hit the 20-point mark here. Xavier Watts and the Irish defense will dominate the field.

e𝗫cellence

Xavier Watts is the best defender in college football@xavierwatts6 has been named a Semifinalist for the Bednarik Award#GoIrish☘️ | @MaxwellFootball pic.twitter.com/1sp1jiMVUn

— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) November 12, 2024

But can the Wahoos stop the Fighting Irish from scoring too much? Virginia has an “okay” defense and ranks in the top 50 in many metrics. Its issue is what Notre Dame is good at: stopping the pass. Virginia gives up nearly 263 passing yards per game at 59.7% accuracy.

That’s not the Fighting Irish’s go-to on offense. ND runs over teams, averaging more than 218 rushing yards and 3.3 touchdowns. Virginia has held opponents to under 133 rushing yards at just 3.9 yards per carry. The Wahoos are strong up the middle and won’t be pushed around as easily as these overmatched schools ND faced.

Our NCAAF pick expects Virginia to slow Notre Dame enough to go under the total. Bet under 50.5.

Bet on Virginia vs Notre Dame Under 50.5 (-110)

Touchdown Profits! Bet $200, Get $450 Bonus on first time deposit.

2. Back Virginia to Stay and Cover

With the total going under, our next NCAAF prediction is for Virginia to cover against Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish will have to stop Virginia from scoring almost entirely to cover this wide spread. While we still believe in Notre Dame being a superior team here, 22 points is a lot. And Virginia, while not a world-beater, is a level above Florida State or Stanford.

If you also look at the type of teams that smoked Virginia, many have prolific passing attacks. That’s not Notre Dame’s weapon here. Riley Leonard is one of the top mobile quarterbacks and leads the nation in completion rate. He’ll look to gash Virginia with his legs alongside Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price.

Had himself a game‼️ @JonasSanker 3X @ACCFootball Defensive Back of the Week😤⚔️#UVAStrong | #GoHoos⚔️ pic.twitter.com/lOgtnFfMHH

— Virginia Football (@UVAFootball) November 11, 2024

But the Wahoos also have a secret weapon in safety Jonas Sanker. He’s done it all for the Virginia Cavaliers in both the passing and rushing defense. Sanker can make big plays and be a thorn in Notre Dame’s side here. While one player on defense hardly moves the line, we’re betting on Sanker to take points from ND. That’s worth a bet online as the underdogs keep this within three TDs.

Bet on Virginia Cavaliers +21.5 (-110)

Questions Of The Day

Odds and information are accurate at the time of writing. Please check with official sources for the latest updates before placing any bets