MetroBet looks at two key college football games for Saturday.
Syracuse Orange vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (-10.5)
Moneyline: Orange +325, Irish -400
Betting Total: 65.5 points
Yankee Stadium will be the site for this matchup (2:30 p.m., NBC) that will go a long way in determining the four teams that play for the national title. Syracuse, ranked 12th in the country, is essentially the final hurdle to a playoff berth for third-ranked Notre Dame, who wraps up their season with USC (5-5) next week.
Ian Book is expected to be back under center for the Irish after a one-week absence. Brandon Wimbush was good enough to lead Brian Kelly’s squad to a 42-17 victory over dismal Florida State last Saturday, but Book is by far the better signal caller for Notre Dame, and the statistics bear that out. Book is significantly better in completion percentage as well as TD-to-INT ratio and yards per attempt.
More importantly, Book stacks up favorably against Syracuse quarterback Eric Dungey. Book’s competition percentage (74.5) and yards per attempt (8.94) dwarf Dungey’s marks on the year (60.4 percent and 7.24 yards per attempt). Dungey might be the more mobile of the two quarterbacks, but Book can lean on the brilliant Dexter Williams out of the backfield. Williams has averaged 6.8 yards per attempt on 113 carries this year and has scored 10 TDs.
The Irish clearly bring the better defense to the table, as they’re 15th in points per game allowed and 10th in yards per play allowed. By comparison, the Orange are 69th and 84th, respectively, in those categories.
Prediction: Notre Dame wins, 41-27
The play: Notre Dame moneyline and West Virginia moneyline Parlay (-115)
West Virginia Mountaineers (-4.5) at Oklahoma State Cowboys
Moneyline: Mountaineers -200, Cowboys +170
Betting Total: 73 points
All signs point toward the Mountaineers taking care of business in a potential Stillwater shootout (3:30 p.m., ABC).
West Virginia signal caller Will Grier has the advantage over Oklahoma State’s Taylor Cornelius in the all-important completion percentage (69 percent to 60.6 percent), yards per attempt (9.87 to 8.8) and TD-INT (31-8 vs. 23-8) categories. It’s hard to poke holes in West Virginia’s offense at the moment, as they’ve averaged 49 points over their last three games. The Cowboys have averaged almost 40 per game themselves in the same span, but their defense has been not nearly as strong as that of the Mountaineers.
Oklahoma State has given up nearly 40 points per game over their last three contests, leading to a 1-2 record, while West Virginia’s defense has surrendered 14 points or fewer in two of their last three tilts, leading to a 3-0 record.
Justice Hill could be the X-factor on the ground for the Cowboys, but it’s hard to see him taking over the game against the Mountaineers’ 22nd-ranked run stoppers.
Prediction: West Virginia wins, 38-31
The play: Notre Dame moneyline and West Virginia moneyline Parlay (-115)
