NCAA football betting players have seen the once-mighty Notre Dame program stumble over the last couple of seasons, but with a wealth of experience back on campus, the Fighting Irish could save coach Charlie Weis' job once again in 2009.
The Irish have nine starters back from last year's offense which was 65th in the nation, but even that was a vast improvement. Jimmy Clausen started to look like the player that was so highly touted coming into South Bend, and he'll have his top four receivers back. It would be nice if the offense was a bit more balanced to take some of the pressure off Clausen, but with four starters back on the offensive line, he should be fine.
On defense, nine players return for the Irish, who were a respectable 39th on that side of the ball. The secondary is deep and experienced, while Brian Smith leads a talented group of linebackers, even if they're a bit green. The pass rush is a committee thing, but they're lacking that one explosive player that can disrupt an offense up front. Ethan Johnson had a decent freshman year, but he'll be counted on to step up.
Notre Dame could be a sleeper among those who make football picks, especially with a tough-but-fair schedule that has no back-to-back road games. They head to Michigan on September 12th in a rivalry game that has lost some of its luster, and then they'll be trying to end a miserable seven-game skid to another traditional rival, USC, when the Trojans come to South Bend on October 17th. The last two years, USC has embarrassed Note Dame by a combined score of 76-3, and the following game against Boston College won't be easy. There's a tricky closing stretch with Navy, Pitt and Connecticut to wrap up the year.
The Irish have betting odds of +2000 to win their first national title since 1988, and because they're an Independent, they don't have the pressure of conference games. Clausen had a rough rookie year before coming around in 2008, and with the experience around him, look for a breakout season. The defense will be the key, especially up front. They'll definitely improve on last year's 7-6 record, and with a couple of breaks, a big-name bowl could be in the cards for the Fighting Irish, one of the best bets for a surprise in your gambling software.
-- Betonline.com
The Irish have nine starters back from last year's offense which was 65th in the nation, but even that was a vast improvement. Jimmy Clausen started to look like the player that was so highly touted coming into South Bend, and he'll have his top four receivers back. It would be nice if the offense was a bit more balanced to take some of the pressure off Clausen, but with four starters back on the offensive line, he should be fine.
On defense, nine players return for the Irish, who were a respectable 39th on that side of the ball. The secondary is deep and experienced, while Brian Smith leads a talented group of linebackers, even if they're a bit green. The pass rush is a committee thing, but they're lacking that one explosive player that can disrupt an offense up front. Ethan Johnson had a decent freshman year, but he'll be counted on to step up.
Notre Dame could be a sleeper among those who make football picks, especially with a tough-but-fair schedule that has no back-to-back road games. They head to Michigan on September 12th in a rivalry game that has lost some of its luster, and then they'll be trying to end a miserable seven-game skid to another traditional rival, USC, when the Trojans come to South Bend on October 17th. The last two years, USC has embarrassed Note Dame by a combined score of 76-3, and the following game against Boston College won't be easy. There's a tricky closing stretch with Navy, Pitt and Connecticut to wrap up the year.
The Irish have betting odds of +2000 to win their first national title since 1988, and because they're an Independent, they don't have the pressure of conference games. Clausen had a rough rookie year before coming around in 2008, and with the experience around him, look for a breakout season. The defense will be the key, especially up front. They'll definitely improve on last year's 7-6 record, and with a couple of breaks, a big-name bowl could be in the cards for the Fighting Irish, one of the best bets for a surprise in your gambling software.
-- Betonline.com
