Duke vs. #10 Notre Dame betting odds and preview

The Duke Blue Devils face off against the 10th-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Saturday.

Notre Dame looks to win its 19th game in a row in South Bend, while the Blue Devils try to build on a successful 2019 season.

Let’s break down the college football action between these two teams, give you a prediction on the score, and help you decide which way to bet on this weekend’s ACC matchup.

Home-field advantage without fans?

During their win streak at home, the Fighting Irish have won by an average of more than 22 points in one of the toughest atmospheres in college football. However, a crowd of no larger than 20 percent capacity presents less of a challenge, and home-field advantage may go by the wayside.

This is helpful for a Duke offense that struggled last season and looks likely to rotate quarterbacks this weekend, despite naming Clemson transfer Chase Brice as starter. Complicating matters further, the quarterback will also be taking snaps from a new center, as starter Jack Wohlabaugh suffered a knee injury last week.

The Irish have no such issue, with QB Ian Book returning for his senior season. He leads a Notre Dame team that defeated Duke 38-7 a year ago, and threw 34 touchdowns to just six picks while rushing for another four scores.

He has his eyes set on leading the Fighting Irish to their first championship since 1988, but he will have to do so with a new cast of characters. His top three receivers from last year are gone from the team.

Can Duke keep it close?

The Blue Devils’ defense will look to make things tough on Book, as their front seven will likely cause issues for the Notre Dame rushing attack. Seven starters return from a unit led by lineman Victor Dimukeje, who racked up 8.5 sacks last season.

Notre Dame has a pair of young running backs that will be tested, putting more pressure on Book to produce.

Head coach David Cutcliffe has taken over play-calling after last year’s poor performance on offense, which should improve things on that side of the ball. However, Duke will get a major test from Notre Dame’s outstanding defense, which ranked 21^st in total yardage last season and features multiple NFL talents.

How to bet

Notre Dame has not lost a home game in three years, and the Fighting Irish have covered the spread in seven of their last eight home games. Furthermore, only five times in the last 16 games played in front of Touchdown Jesus has the total gone over.

With so many new faces on offense for the Fighting Irish, their offense might be rusty early, but they should win easily. Look for Notre Dame to simply overwhelm Duke in a low-scoring victory.

Score prediction: Notre Dame 35, Duke 10

NCAAF picks: Notre Dame +19.5, Under 54.5

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