Notre Dame football to face toughest test against Syracuse in Week 12

Notre Dame football is just two games away from a College Football Playoff berth, but Syracuse’s high-octane offense is in the position to play spoiler.

Of the eight games played between these two programs, all but one have taken place in either November or December. This trend will continue as the Orange look to take advantage of a late-season matchup with the Irish and deal a crushing blow to Notre Dame and its hopes for a first ever playoff bid.

Notre Dame has made easy work of Syracuse in both games under head coach Brian Kelly, winning by scores of 31-15 and 50-33 in 2014 and 2016, respectively. However, Syracuse head coach Dino Babers has his team playing with a confidence that has been foreign to the Orange for quite some time.

Creeping up on the end of the regular season, here’s how to watch the Irish take on the Orange in what is shaping up to be the game of the week.

Date: Saturday, Oct. 17
Time: 2:30 p.m. ET
Location: Bronx, N.Y.
Venue: Yankee Stadium
TV: NBC
Live Stream: NBC Sports or FuboTV

Keys to Victory

The Irish will be facing an offense that has the propensity to score at any given moment. With that said, Syracuse is far from invincible. Quarterback Eric Dungey is completing less than 60 percent of his passes, and the Irish are actually averaging more yards than the Orange on a per play basis. Ian Book and Co. will have to be efficient, but they won’t have to do anything spectacular to win this one.

As for Syracuse, the key to victory for the Orange lies in Dungey’s ability to replicate success against another elite defense. The Orange offense didn’t fare particularly well against Clemson, and they’ll have another test against a well-rounded Notre Dame unit. If Dungey can prove that Syracuse’s 44.4 points per game aren’t a result of their schedule, they could pull off a close win.

Betting Odds

Odds provided by OddsShark

Point Spread: Notre Dame -10
Over/Under: 65

Prediction

As mentioned before, the Irish offense has been more efficient in both completion percentage and yards per play when compared to Syracuse’s offense. Not only that, Notre Dame’s secondary ranks 29th in passing yards per game and 2nd in passing touchdowns per game. Asking for Dungey to significantly out-duel Book is a tall task, one that won’t likely be accomplished this weekend.

Final Score: Syracuse 24, Notre Dame 38