It’s like a MAC spread
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are 7-1 and ranked #10 in the country according to the AP Poll. The first College Football Playoff rankings will be released on Tuesday, and it may still be a stretch that those initial spots will mean much in a few weeks as games are played and “reasons” for movement are given by the committee.
The common thought is that if Notre Dame wins their final four games — they’re in. If they lose — they’re out. As far as the seeding goes, it still may be up in the air if the 11-1 Irish get a home playoff game.
But that’s in the future. We are living in the present, and that means Notre Dame still has to play game one of the four game stretch, and welcome back the Florida State Seminoles to Notre Dame Stadium. The Noles have been absolutely awful this year with a 1-7 record. The lone win came in conference play against Cal — but they have been awful. FSU ranks 133rd in the country for points scored (14.7) and 86th in the country for points against (27.3).
This makes for a pretty big spread for Saturday night’s game.
According to FanDuel SportsBook, Notre Dame is a 25.5 point favorites over Florida State with an over/under of 43.5.
That’s a massive spread, and one that would have received the biggest of laughs in the preseason. As I keep saying — with a weak schedule, Notre Dame needs to use these spreads as a way to impress the committee. Covering the spread (and then some) shows game control and dominance — all of which can pay off come December.