Notre Dame vs. Florida State August 5 Betting Preview & Picks

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are headed to Tallahassee to take on the Florida State Seminoles in a rare Sunday night game with the NFL taking an off week before the regular season starts. The Fighting Irish are looking to make a program statement after making the playoff and falling short last year, while the Noles are just trying to build a competitive roster. On a national stage, we will see if either team looks to be moving toward their goals after this game.

What Vegas Thinks

Notre Dame opened as a 9.5 point favorite in this game when it was posted earlier this year, alongside a total of 55.5. Now, you will find a line between 6.5 and 7.5 favoring Notre Dame and a total that has remained unchanged around a key number. 

I think that we’ve seen the number move with the announcement of Jack Coan as the QB, which I think is the less exciting option, and with the notion that Florida State is likely improving with a new coaching staff following a Covid-19 riddled season. 

Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Notre Dame loses Ian Book and replaces him with a less-mobile game manager in Jack Coan, a grad transfer from Wisconsin who was beaten out by the younger, more talented Graham Mertz. I think that this is reason to be concerned with the Irish simply because you could argue that explosive plays are the reason that this team has struggled to become a true national powerhouse. 

This is a focus for this coaching staff moving forward, but I don’t think that the roster is there yet. This, combined with what should be a talented but inexperienced offensive line, is reason to be concerned with the ND offense as a whole. Defensively, I would expect a sound team, especially with potential top 5 pick Kyle Hamilton patrolling the back end.

Florida State Seminoles

Florida State is in year two of the Mike Norvell experiment, and if I were to give a report card on Norvell so far, it would be incomplete. Norvell had a ton of success at Memphis in recruiting and development, and we have to wait and see what he can do with a true sleeping giant in the sport. 

Florida State brought in former college star McKenzie Milton as a transfer QB, and I think that this was a big story in the public eye to begin the offseason. Now, we expect Jordan Travis to start at QB after beating out Milton in camp. Reports suggest that Travis looks much improved as a passer, and I think that is the story of this game. Travis is a good runner who struggled through the air, and I think that the key is whether or not Travis can make enough plays to keep Florida State in this game.

The Picks

Florida State +7 - I think that Travis is a player that can give ND a fit, and I think that an inexperienced offensive line will make these games more difficult for Notre Dame than they have gotten used to.

Over 55.5 - This is a bit of a contrarian pick around the industry, but if my bet is on Jordan Travis, I really think that we see a competitive game with one team getting into the 30s here.