The No. 2 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (7-0) didn't get much time to celebrate their big win over Clemson as they head on the road to face rivals Boston College (5-3) on Saturday. This rivalry game kicks off on ABC at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday at Alumni Stadium in Chestnut Hill, Mass.
The Irish lead the series against Boston College 16-7, including a 40-7 home win last year. Notre Dame has won seven in a row in the series and is 5-4 in Chestnut Hill.
Boston College last beat the Irish in 2008, and it also beat Notre Dame in 1993, a week after the last time the Irish beat a No. 1 team.
Notre Dame Betting Outlook: Run The Ball
The Irish are 3-4 ATS this season, and they rank 19th in the country in rushing yards (227.9 yards per game) and 29th in scoring (36.6 points per game). They covered against Clemson last Saturday with the biggest team win over the last decade with a 47-40 double-overtime win.
The defense has been great all season, ranking 10th in yards allowed (206.6 yards per game) and fifth against the run (85.1 yards per game). In beating Clemson, they held star running back Travis Etienne to 28 yards on 18 carries.
Ian Book threw for 310 yards against Clemson while rushing for 67 yards. On the season, he has 1,535 yards and eight touchdowns with just one interception.
Notre Dame beat Clemson on the ground, with the running game accounting for 208 yards. Kyren Williams ran for 140 yards and three scores, including the game-winning touchdown. On the season, he has 740 yards and 10 scores, while Book has 280 yards and five touchdowns.
Boston College Betting Outlook: Play to Win
The Eagles are 5-3 ATS this season though they failed to cover last week in a 16-13 win at Syracuse. The offense has been the Eagles' downfall, ranking 85th in the nation in scoring (26.1 points per game) and 91st in total yards (367.5 yards per game). The defense held Syracuse to 52 yards rushing, and on the season, the Eagles have allowed just 24.6 points per game.
The offense is led by quarterback Phil Jurkovec, who has 2,083 passing yards for 15 touchdowns. He threw for 208 yards last week and has completed 62% of his passes in 2020.
The run game has two major contributors with David Bailey and Travis Levy. Bailey has 429 yards on the season, while Levy has 216. Bailey has the most rushing touchdowns for the Eagles with four, while Jurkovce has one.
Zay Flowers leads the Eagles with 600 receiving yards and six touchdowns on the season. Tight end Hunter Long has contributed 43 receptions, and C.J. Lewis averages over 17 yards per reception with four touchdowns.
Betting Analysis
The No. 2 Irish are favored by 12.5 points on the road with a total of 50.5 points.
The Irish have been a turnover machine on defense, and they added three against Clemson. Boston College will need to hold onto the ball and find a way to run against the Irish defense.
Notre Dame doesn't throw the ball as much as it runs it, and Williams is in line to have a big day against the Boston College defense.
Free Pick: Under 50.5 points (-110)
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