The no. 8 Notre Dame Fighting Irish look to avoid a let down in Week 2 as they host the Ball State Cardinals. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 EST on Saturday, September 8, at Notre Dame Stadium. Fans can watch the game on NBC.
Oddsmakers view the Irish as 33.5-point favorites against Ball State. Be sure to check out a full list of this week’s college football betting odds.
Notre Dame is riding high after last week’s win over Michigan that moved them from no. 12 to no. 8 in the polls. The Irish jumped out to a 14-0 lead and relied on their defense to do the rest, hanging on to be the Wolverines 24-17 despite a little bit of a scare in the 4th quarter.
It wasn’t a dominant win by any stretch, but it made a statement and keeps them on pace to stay in the College Football Playoff conversation. Now they have to avoid a let down the next couple of weeks before they face the likes of Stanford and Virginia Tech in late September and early October.
Ball State is also feeling good after they took care of FCS opponent Central Connecticut State in their season opener last week. The Cardinals won 42-6 and were less than 20 seconds away from maintaining a shutout. There were plenty of doubts about Ball State coming into the season. But it’s a good sign that they were able to dominate an inferior opponent in their opener.
Despite being located less than 200 miles apart, these two Indiana schools have never met on the football field. For Notre Dame, this figures to be just another game, and perhaps their easiest of the season. However, Ball State’s players should be excited to make the trip to South Bend and give the Irish their best shot.
This is a lot of points to cover. I wouldn’t put it past Notre Dame to cover such a big spread, but I’m just not comfortable enough picking that to happen. I think the Irish are due for a little bit of a letdown after the Michigan win. I also think Ball State is a little underrated. I’ll take my chances leaning toward the Cardinals to keep the final score halfway respectable and beat the spread.
To be fair, Ball State was one of the worst teams in the country last year. However, a lot of their struggles can be blamed on an almost unfair rash of injuries that hit the team early in the season, especially on the offensive side of the ball. Between getting those injured players back healthy this season and the experience some of their younger players gained last season out of necessity, the Cardinals will be better than most people think. Remember, it’s not a given that MAC teams can walk all over FCS opponents, so the fact that Ball State did is a good sign for them.
The most important injured player to return for Ball State is quarterback Riley Neal. He started as both a freshman and sophomore before getting hurt early last season, so he has a wealth of experience under his belt. He’s not going to be intimidated about facing Notre Dame or easily rattled if things don’t go his way early in the game. That fortitude could help the Cardinals move the ball and score points if Notre Dame lets its foot off the gas after scoring a couple touchdowns.
The Cardinals also have running back James Gilbert and wide receiver Corey Lacanaria back in the fold after each missed most of last season due to injury. In their absence, Ball State saw a few more playmakers emerge, particularly in the backfield. Obviously, the Notre Dame defense looked great in their season opener. But the Cardinals have some talent on offense, so it’s not a given that Ball State will be kept out of the end zone all day.
As for the Notre Dame offense, I’m still a little skeptical about the passing game. Brandon Wimbush is no doubt a dynamic runner who also made a few nice throws against Michigan. But he finished the game just 12 of 22 for 170 yards. I’m still not convinced that the Irish are going to create big plays in the passing game, something that usually needs to happen to cover a spread this large. Obviously, the Ball State defense is a step down from Michigan, but I think the Cardinals have enough on that side of the ball to put up a fight against an offense that can be one-dimensional at times.
For the record, I don’t expect this game to be close in the 4th quarter. But it’s also not a slam dunk that the Irish will steamroll Ball State enough to cover the 33.5-point spread. Even if it happens in garbage time, I think the Cardinals will have some success offensively and score enough to prevent Notre Dame from covering the spread.