The Vanderbilt Commodores will look to accomplish a first in school history -- knock off the Notre Dame Fighting Irish when these teams meet at 2:30 p.m. ET on Saturday in South Bend. Granted, the squads have only met twice, with the last matchup 22 years ago. The Irish got the 14-7 win. The Irish opened as a 14.5-point home favorite, but are now laying 14 in the latest Notre Dame vs. Vanderbilt odds. The Over-Under, or total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, has decreased from an opening of 52.5 to 51.5. Before you make any Notre Dame vs. Vanderbilt picks, check out what the SportsLine projection model has to say.
The model simulates every college football game 10,000 times and produced double-digit profitable weeks last season. It closed last week by hitting 11 of its last 13 top-rated picks, and cashing in huge with selections such as Kentucky against the spread (+13.5) and on the money line (+410) against Florida, and Arizona State against the spread (+4.5) and on the money line (+165) against Michigan State. The model has returned nearly $4,000 for $100 bettors over the past three seasons.
Now, the model has simulated Vanderbilt vs. Notre Dame 10,000 times to produce strong against-the-spread and over-under picks. We can tell you the under hits in 62 percent of simulations, but the model also has generated a point-spread selection that hits almost 60 percent of the time. This pick is available only at SportsLine.
The Fighting Irish turn to quarterback Brandon Wimbush to beat the Commodores. Although he threw for 297 yards against Ball State last week, he also hurled three interceptions and no touchdown passes.
The Cardinals also effectively cordoned off any potential running lanes, sewing him into the pocket and forcing him to scramble numerous times. Against a stringent Vandy defense that has allowed just 17 points over its first two games, Notre Dame's receivers will need to come up clutch. Senior Miles Boykin, who had six grabs for 119 yards last week, and junior Chase Claypool, with 40 career catches, will be called upon to keep possessions alive.
Just because Notre Dame struggled last week doesn't mean it can't cover on Saturday.
The model has factored in that Vanderbilt will need to give quarterback Kyle Shurmur adequate time to throw. The pocket passer rarely runs and has been known to hold on to the ball a beat or two longer than he should. Because Notre Dame's front seven possesses such surprising brawn and speed, quick slants to receivers Kalija Lipscomb and Jared Pinkney will be key.
Vandy will also need a big afternoon from running back Ke'Shawn Vaughn, who rumbled for 93 yards last week on just 11 carries and found the end zone twice.
Who wins Vanderbilt vs. Notre Dame? And which side covers almost 60 percent of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread you need to jump on Saturday, all from the computer model that ended last week on a sparkling 11-2 run.
