Notre Dame Michigan State Betting – Spartans Encounter First Meaningful Test Of 2010
The Michigan State Spartans have had a cupcake-rich diet in 2010, but that changes this Saturday against college football’s most famous program.
NCAA football betting: Notre Dame Fighting Irish @ Michigan State Spartans
Online Betting Odds: Michigan State -3.5
Why To Bet On Notre Dame
Why bet on Notre Dame this Saturday? The biggest reason might be that Michigan State has a chronic inability to close down games. Last year, the Spartans moved deep into Notre Dame territory in the game’s final minutes, only for quarterback Kirk Cousins to throw a game-sealing interception at the precise moment when MSU was well within range of a tying field goal attempt. Notre Dame held on for a 33-30 win and walked off the field in triumph, a rare scene in the final three years of the ultimately ill-fated Charlie Weis era. Michigan State has a pronounced propensity to blow late leads and basically falter just short of the finish line. If Notre Dame can maintain its poise and force MSU to win the game in the fourth quarter, that’s a proposition new Irish coach Brian Kelly will probably live with.
Why To Bet On Michigan State
The Spartans drilled Notre Dame at home the last time this game was played in East Lansing, and an MSU offense which returns its starting quarterback and six other members of its 2009 offense. Coach Mark Dantonio’s team needs its relative cohesion to translate into a polished and precise performance against the Irish. Sparty has begun its 2010 season with warm-ups against Western Michigan and Florida Atlantic. This team is relatively fresh and hasn’t taken much of a pounding, whereas Notre Dame has gone up against Big Ten opponents in Purdue and Michigan. If Michigan State executes and allows its strength in the trenches to show up, it has an entirely legitimate chance of turning back the Irish and putting a dent into the first season of the Brian Kelly era in South Bend. Avoiding flop sweat and the klieg-light glare of the national spotlight are eternal challenges for this psychologically frail program. Allowing its talent to spill out in full flower is always the big key for Michigan State. Notre Dame does not enjoy a considerable talent advantage over MSU, and that’s why the home team has such a good chance to pull Saturday’s game out of the fire.
How The Game Will Play Out
The alarming reality in the Notre Dame camp is that starting quarterback Dayne Crist got injured against Michigan this past Saturday. He’ll surely start at Michigan State, but he’s not going to be 100 percent healthy. Crist inexplicably threw the ball out of the end zone on Notre Dame’s last-gasp pass attempt at the end of regulation against Michigan; he’s not making great decisions. Moreover, three different quarterbacks threw interceptions for Notre Dame against Michigan. Nate Montana and Tommy Rees also got picked. Notre Dame needs a composed performance under center in order to win on the road. It’s not likely the Fighting Irish are going to get what they so clearly require. Take Michigan State at home.
Notre Dame Michigan State Betting Pick: Michigan State
