Bet Notre Dame Fighting Irish – New System Won’t Pay Instant Dividends In South Bend

2009 Notre Dame Fighting Irish Betting Recap

Jimmy Clausen was an online betting favorite to win the Heisman heading into the 2009 season, and the Fighting Irish had high hopes. Surely, there was no shortage of drama for their fans as 10 of Notre Dame’s games were decided on by a touchdown or less. A 35-0 romp over Nevada was offset by a 38-34 loss at rival Michigan in which the Fighting Irish gave up a score with 11 seconds left. The Fighting Irish then won three straight against Michigan State, at Purdue and against Washington before falling on the road to another old rival, this time 34-27 at USC. Notre Dame would beat Boston College and Washington State before four consecutive losses to wrap up the season, against Navy and Connecticut at home, and at Pittsburgh and Stanford.

Clausen never made it to New York for the Heisman ceremony, but he still led a potent offense that was eighth in the country, and fifth through the air, and Clausen ended up finishing third in the nation in rating. Golden Tate was fourth in the NCAA in yards as Clausen’s favorite target, while Armando Allen did a decent job when he got carries. However, the defense failed to come up with big plays when it was needed to, especially down the stretch. The Fighting Irish was 86th in total defense, and they were almost equally as bad against the pass as they were against the run.

2010 Preview To Bet Notre Dame Fighting Irish

How much Brian Kelly affects Notre Dame’s NCAA football betting odds remains to be seen, but one thing is for sure: the Charlie Weis era was certainly over in South Bend. As the architect of Cincinnati’s high-powered offense last year, Kelly will have to replace Clausen, Tate, Allen, and three-fifths of the offensive line, and the line wasn’t that great to begin with as the Fighting Irish were 89th in sacks allowed last year. Michael Floyd looks to be ready to step into Tate’s shoes, while Allen may get more touches in the backfield. The key is Dayne Crist, who is coming off of knee surgery, so the line will have to gel quickly to keep him on his feet. The defense is in better shape with eight players coming back, but it’s a wonder how long it’ll take to get them comfortable in a 3-4 scheme after playing in the 4-3.

The Fighting Irish open up the season with the Big Ten, hosting Purdue and Michigan before heading to Michigan State, before they aim to avenge last year’s loss to Stanford at home. Notre Dame then travels to Boston College before hosting Pitt and Western Michigan at the new Meadowlands Stadium, which is the home of the NFL’s New York Giants and Jets. The Fighting Irish spend Halloween at home against Tulsa before their bye week, followed by a visit from annual “BCS buster” Utah, a neutral-site game against Army at Yankee Stadium, and finally, what should be a highly-charged rivalry game in Los Angeles at USC. There are plenty of mines that can take out the Fighting Irish in this slate, and it’ll be a good test for Kelly, who is new to the Notre Dame spotlight after coming from Cincinnati.

The Fighting Irish should just worry about changing the mindset around campus this year instead of a good record, however, getting back to a bowl game is almost a necessity for Kelly. Notre Dame has a whole lot of firepower to replace on offense, but a young offensive line isn’t going to do them any favors unless they come together quickly. The defense should improve as the 3-4 defense allows Notre Dame to take advantage of a decent linebacking corps, but it’s going to take a team effort, especially late in the game. Still, 6-7 wins is attainable for the Fighting Irish, especially as they’re playing essentially only three games away from home, but with a new coach, quarterback and strategy on both sides of the ball, sports betting players shouldn’t expect the spirit of Knute Rockne to spark the Fighting Irish to any heroics.