Mighty Irish open these eyes
OK, I’ll admit it. I have a bad habit of picking against Notre Dame.
Sure, I correctly called a road blowout of North Carolina, but I was on the wrong side against Boston College and more recently at home against USC and North Caro- lina State.
I’ve heard the chirping and received some old-fashioned hate mail. I’ve even been banned from watching “Rudy.”
A smart gambler learns from mistakes, and I’m now a believer. The 8-1 Irish have ascended to No.3 and play a do-or-die game on the road against No. 7 Miami tomorrow night. If they win, they are a lock for the College Football Playoff, provided they can get past Navy and Stanford. If they lose, they are done.
Notre Dame is playing as well as any team in the country, using a powerful running game behind an NFL-caliber offensive line. Quarterback Brandon Wimbush now appears healthy, and tailback Josh Adams averages 8.7 yards per carry.
On the other side, Miami is 8-0, but its offense hasn’t scored more than 28 points since September, and Virginia Tech is its only win against a team currently in the Top 25. The Hurricanes have not faced an opponent this good and will not be able to stop the Irish, who are favored by 3 points. Notre Dame wins a prime-time throwback to the Catholics vs. Convicts era. In other games:
TONIGHT Washington (-6) at Stanford — This line opened at 8 and likely fell because crazy things happen in Friday night Pac-12 games. But Washington has the No. 1 defense in the country (240.9 yards per game), which will keep Bryce Love and a one-dimensional Stanford offense in check. The No. 9 Huskies responded to their loss at Arizona State by crushing UCLA and Oregon, and will keep their playoff hopes alive in a rout.
TOMORROW Indiana (-71⁄2) at Illinois — The Illini are the worst team in the Power Five. They haven’t scored more than 24 points in any game, and they haven’t sniffed a win since beating weak sisters Ball State and Western Kentucky to start the season. Indiana’s season hasn’t met expectations, but the offense can score, while Illinois’ defense allows 400 yards per game. The Hoosiers will dominate.
Southern Mississippi (-10) at Rice — This is a pick against the Owls, who have lost seven straight and are allowing 427.8 yards per game. Rice coach David Bailiff has checked out and likely is gone at season’s end. The Eagles have won the past two meetings by a combined 109-38 and will have their way again.
SMU (+31⁄2) at Navy — I’ve liked the Middies a lot this season, but they are reeling since a 5-0 start, and quarterback Zach Abey is questionable with an upper-body injury after taking a vicious hit in last week’s stinker against Temple. The Mustangs are 6-3 and took No.14 Central Florida down to the wire. QB Ben Hicks is good enough to pull off an upset.
West Virginia (+21⁄2) at Kansas State — Take a look at Kansas State’s schedule, and you won’t find a good win. The No. 23 Mountaineers have played well against strong teams all season, including last week’s victory against Iowa State. Quarterback Will Grier found his mojo against the Cyclones after a miserable performance against Oklahoma State and should torch a weak Wildcats secondary.
Marshall (-12) vs. Western Kentucky — Marshall’s back-to-back losses to Florida Atlantic and Florida International seem bad on paper, but those teams are 1-2 in Conference USA’s East Division, and the Thundering Herd had won five straight before the setbacks. Western Kentucky’s offensive line is terrible and will be trampled by an underrated Herd defense.
TCU at Oklahoma (Over 621⁄2) — This opened at 661⁄2 and has dropped because the No. 8 Horned Frogs have the best run defense in the country. That won’t be much help against No. 5 Oklahoma and Baker Mayfield, who slings the ball up and down the field and was at his very best in last week’s Bedlam shootout. These teams combined for 98 points last season, and while that’s a little unreasonable, 70 is a good bet in what should be a terrific game.
Last week: 5-3
Season: 35-40-3