Northern Illinois vs Notre Dame Odds
| Northern Illinois Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+28 -108 | 44.5 -108 / -112 | +2200 |
| Notre Dame Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-28 -112 | 44.5 -108 / -112 | -8000 |
- Northern Illinois vs Notre Dame Point Spread: Northern Illinois +28 | Notre Dame -28
- Northern Illinois vs Notre Dame Total: Over/Under 44.5
- Northern Illinois vs Notre Dame Moneyline: Northern Illinois +2200 · Notre Dame -8000
Northern Illinois was a +2200 underdog to beat Notre Dame outright.
It is the worst loss by spread for Notre Dame since it lost its season opener as 28-point favorites vs. Northwestern in 1995.
This is Notre Dame's third loss straight-up as 20+ point favorite within the first two weeks of the regular season since 1990. That is the most of any school in the nation according to Action Network Director of Research Evan Abrams.
Here's how we previewed the game:
After an exciting first week of college football, Week 2 brings us another interesting matchup in South Bend, Indiana.
Head coach Marcus Freeman and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish are coming off a huge road win against the Texas A&M Aggies in College Station.
Notre Dame will welcome the Northern Illinois Huskies from the Mid-American Conference, who are coming off a dominant win in week one at home against Western Illinois (54-15). Thomas Hammock leads these Huskies into Notre Dame Stadium, looking to shock the world in his sixth season in DeKalb, Illinois.
Here's my Northern Illinois vs Notre Dame pick.
Northern Illinois vs Notre Dame Prediction
- Pick: NIU +28
My Northern Illinois vs. Notre Dame best bet is on the Huskies to cover the spread, with the best line currently available at DraftKings, according to our live NCAAF odds page.
Northern Illinois vs Notre Dame Preview
Northern Illinois Betting Preview: Run The Ball, Stop The Run
The Huskies are following a successful season, which included a big win in the Camellia Bowl over Arkansas State a year ago.
They kept that momentum in Week 1 with a blowout home win over Western Illinois.
Notre Dame will be quite the test for these Huskies, especially on the road.
Northern Illinois is led by senior quarterback Ethan Hampton, who has remained with the program and waited his turn. Hampton threw for five touchdowns a week ago but will face a step-up in competition against a stout Notre Dame defense.
While Hampton found a lot of success, coach Hammock prefers to run the football, given his background as a running back coach — the Huskies ranked 38th nationally in rush rate last year. Despite only ranking 45th in Rush Success Rate during 2023, the Huskies ranked 21st in Rush Explosiveness — they can always pop one loose. Senior running back Antario Brown will be hunting any open running lanes in this one to build off his 1,300 rushing-yard campaign from 2023.
Northern Illinois must establish the run to keep this one close. The Huskies cannot rely on Hampton to replicate his performance from Week 1, as the passing windows will be much smaller against a better Notre Dame team.
On the other side of the ball, the Huskies have difficulty stopping the run, but they have a solid pass defense.
They allowed about as many passing yards as rushing yards a year ago. That raises the question of how they finished with a winning record if they couldn’t stop the run effectively — it's because they ranked in the top-50 nationally in Rush Explosiveness allowed, making the necessary second-level stops.
The Huskies need to get some big stops early and force Notre Dame to throw the ball against their ball-hawking secondary.
Notre Dame Betting Preview: Balanced, Ball-Hawking Aggressiveness
The Fighting Irish entered this year looking for a playoff berth and run at a National Championship, and they kept those dreams alive with a massive road win at Texas A&M in Week 1.
That game may ultimately be Notre Dame’s biggest regular-season win in 2024.
Marcus Freeman must get the team refocused and ready to go for the home opener in South Bend against a solid Northern Illinois team.
Notre Dame landed an NFL-caliber quarterback in the transfer portal, Riley Leonard, who comes over from Duke following Mike Elko's exit. That said, Leonard's presence doesn't change Notre Dame's identity as a run-first program.
The Irish ranked 29th in Rush Rate and ninth in Rush Success Rate last season. They'll look to impose their will against a weaker MAC team.
If they must throw the ball, they also ranked 13th in Pass Success Rate in 2023 — when Sam Hartman was under center. They're balanced.
I would expect Notre Dame to find success on the ground in this one, leaning on a steady ground game — the Irish kill teams with 3-to-4-yard gains that drain the clock quickly.
The Notre Dame defense is consistently among the nation's best. Notre Dame ranked fourth in Success Rate allowed and 23rd in Havoc in last season, forcing 24 turnovers in 13 games.
But the Irish's aggressive and chaotic defense leaves them vulnerable to the big play — especially in the run game, where they ranked 89th in Rush Explosiveness allowed a year ago. They'll need to clean up tackles at the second level against Northern Illinois' oft-explosive ground game.
Northern Illinois vs Notre Dame Pick & Prediction
This game feels like one where both sides will be looking to run the ball, so it will be a low-scoring game as long as turnovers are limited.
Notre Dame could come into this one with a big-win hangover and start slow in the first half before extending the lead in the final 30 minutes.
Conversely, I expect Northern Illinois to enter Saturday focused, looking to prove a point by breaking chunk rushing plays before Notre Dame wakes up.
The Irish should win, but the Huskies can cover the number in a low-scoring, run-heavy game script.
Pick: Northern Illinois +28 (-110)
How to Watch Northern Illinois vs Notre Dame Live: Start Time, TV Channel, Location
| Location: | Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, Indiana |
| Date: | Saturday, Sept. 7 |
| Kickoff Time: | 3:30 p.m. ET |
| TV / Streaming: | NBC |
Northern Illinois vs Notre Dame Betting Trends
- Northern Illinois is 1-0 SU and ATS after beating Western Illinois 54-15 as 35.5-point favorites in Week 1.
- Notre Dame is 1-0 SU and ATS after beating Texas A&M outright 23-13 as three-point underdogs in Week 1.
- Northern Illinois is 17-11 ATS as a road underdog over the past five seasons dating back to the start of 2019.
