How the public is betting No. 7 Cincinnati vs. No. 9 Notre Dame

In a weekend stacked with premier college football games, the Cincinnati Bearcats will head out on the road to take on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in a matchup between unbeaten teams on Saturday, October 2nd. Maybe it’s too early to talk about this - we’ll talk about it anyways - but things are setting up pretty well for the first Group of 5 program to make the College Football Playoff if Cincinnati can handle their business the rest of the way, and Saturday afternoon’s game will be their biggest test.

Below is a look at where bettors are going with their money on the point spread and total. All odds and info were provided by DraftKings Sportsbook.

Point Spread

Oddsmakers have Cincinnati listed as a 1.5-point favorite, but bettors are all over the Irish as the underdog. Notre Dame is getting 77% of the bets in addition to 68% of the handle.

Is the public right?

No. Cincinnati has waited a long time for this game and not only will the Bearcats be the more motivated team, they’re simply a better team than Notre Dame especially when they have an extra week to prepare. The Irish have really struggled to replace last year’s talent on the offensive line, and they’re dealing with injuries at the quarterback position with Jack Coan and Tyler Buchner trying to get healthy enough to be effective on Saturday. This is setting up perfectly for a well-balanced Cincinnati team.

Point Total

The over/under is set at 50.5, and the public is going with the over. The over is getting 72% of bets and 53% of the handle.

Is the public right?

Yes, we’re riding the public with the over. It seems unlikely Notre Dame will have much success running the ball against Cincinnati. While the Bearcats’ pass defense ranks very well in 2021, it’s such a limited sample size with just two games against FBS opponents, and the Irish should have more success in the passing game regardless of who lines up at quarterback. Cincinnati had no troubles moving the ball in 2020 in a historic season in the AAC, and that doesn’t seem to be changing this year, so this over is going to hit.

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