No. 7 Cincinnati vs. No. 9 Notre Dame odds heading into game week

Maybe it’s a bit early to talk postseason in early October, but College Football Playoff implications are definitely on the line as the Cincinnati Bearcats face the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, October 2nd at 2:30 p.m. ET. The game is scheduled to air on NBC.

Cincinnati had a perfectly timed bye week in between their two most important games of the season against the Indiana Hoosiers and Notre Dame. Every game is a must-win scenario for the 3-0 Bearcats, and they should have a legitimate shot at the Playoff with an undefeated season. Cincinnati forced nine turnovers over the previous two games and while that’s certainly not a sustainable statistic, two weeks to get ready for the Irish is certainly a plus.

It hasn’t always been pretty, but Notre Dame is undefeated at 4-0 and took advantage of a Wisconsin Badgers fourth quarter collapse on Saturday to get there. The Fighting Irish all of a sudden have issues with quarterback depth as Jack Coan left Saturday’s game with a leg injury, and his backup Tyler Buchner was unavailable as well. Freshman Drew Pyne stepped in and played well against Wisconsin, completing 6 of 8 passes for 81 yards and a touchdown. No matter who is available at quarterback, the offensive line play needs to be better to keep them upright and healthy.

Opening Odds from Circa Sports

Spread: Cincinnati -2
Total: 47.5

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