The Week 9 of the NCAAF continues on Saturday, October 29 with this inter-conference tilt in Syracuse, and here you can take a look at the best Fighting Irish vs. Orange betting pick and odds.

Syracuse suffered the first loss of the season last week and now is hoping to return to winning ways when they welcome Notre Dame at JMA Wireless Dome. The Orange are slight -2.5 favorites on Bovada Sportsbook, while the total is set at 48 points. These inter-conference rivals will meet for the first time since 2020 when Notre Dame was better 45-21 at home.

Fighting Irish didn’t have problems with the Rebels

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish (4-3, 3-4-0 ATS) played three consecutive home games, winning two of them in the process. After suffering a disappointing narrow loss to the Stanford Cardinal, the Fighting Irish responded with a massive 44-21 victory over the UNLV Rebels. Notre Dame was up by 23 points at halftime and then maintained a big lead and deservedly recorded a W. The hosts dominated the total yards (428-299) and first downs (23-11).

Drew Pyne completed 14 of 28 passes for 205 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. Michael Mayer, who was on the receiving end on one of those two TD passes, led the game with 115 yards on six catches. Braden Lenzy also scored a receiving TD, but the Fighting Irish were more effective on the ground with 223 yards and three touchdowns on 47 carries. Logan Diggs didn’t score a rushing TD but he did lead the team with 130 yards on 28 attempts. Isaiah Foskey was an absolute beast on defense; he registered three sacks and blocked two punts!

QB Tyler Buchner (shoulder) is out for the season, while CB TaRiq Bracy (hamstring) is questionable to play on Saturday against Syracuse.

Orange couldn’t hold on against the Tigers

The Syracuse Orange (6-1, 6-1-0 ATS) were so close to recording their seventh win in many games, but even though they had a big lead against the Clemson Tigers on the road, they fell short in the end. Syracuse led 21-7 in the second quarter, thanks to its dynamite defense which forced four turnovers in this game. However, the Orange failed to get on the scoreboard in the second half as the Tigers completed a comeback to win 27-21, handing Syracuse the first defeat of the campaign.

Garrett Shrader completed 18 of 26 passes for 167 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. He also led his team in rushing yards with 71 and a score on 21 attempts. Sean Tucker caught that lone TD pass from Shrader, while Oronde Gadsden II led all the receivers with 86 yards on six catches. Ja’Had Carter returned a fumble for a 90-yard TD, while Mikel Jones registered a game-high 12 tackles.

Trends:

Notre Dame:

  • 1-4 ATS in the last five non-conference games
  • 0-4 ATS in the last four games on fieldturf

Syracuse:

  • 5-0 ATS in the last five non-conference games
  • 10-2 ATS in the last 12 games following an ATS win
  • 9-2 ATS in the last 11 home games

Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. Syracuse Orange Pick  

I am really impressed with Syracuse’s defense this season, and with the way how they stopped Clemson’s high-flying offense in the first half of that game. Still, the game plays for two halves, and the Orange didn’t hold on in the second. The Orange does have a better offense and defense than the Fighting Irish and didn’t lose at home this season, so I am going with Syracuse here. Notre Dame, who scores 26.6 points per game, will find it hard to penetrate through Syracuse’s D which allows only 15.1 ppg. I am backing the home team’s defense to prevail on Saturday.

Pick: Take the Orange at -2.5 (-110)

The Total

Both teams have solid run offenses and I expect them to utilize the running a lot in this game. Syracuse has a more efficient pass offense, so we will likely see some nice completions from Shrader, but I don’t see this as a high-scoring affair. The Orange managed to keep the opponents to single digits in three of five home games. Under is 5-2 in the Fighting Irish’s last seven games overall; Under is 4-0 in the Orange’s previous four games overall, while Under is 7-1 in Syracuse’s last eight home games.

Pick: Go Under 48.5 points (-110)