Notre Dame vs. No. 16 Syracuse picks and best bets for Week 9 matchup

We have a showdown in upstate New York to dive into on Saturday as the No. 16 Syracuse Orange host the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at noon ET. The game will take place at the JMA Wireless Dome in Syracuse, NY, and will air on ABC.

Notre Dame (4-3) bounced back from its loss to Stanford by pounding UNLV for a 44-21 victory last Saturday. The Fighting Irish jumped out to a 23-7 lead in the first quarter and never looked back in the home victory. Tight end Michael Mayer had another solid day receiving, catching six passes for 115 yards and a touchdown.

Syracuse (6-1) put a scare into Clemson last Saturday but couldn’t quite hang on in a 27-21 setback. The Orange carried a 21-10 lead into the fourth quarter before the dam broke as the Tigers piled on 17 points in the fourth quarter. The team’s last ditch effort to retake the lead in the final minute fell short when quarterback Garrett Shrader got picked off.

Here’s all the data you’ll want, and a pick for the game!

SP+ Rankings

Notre Dame: 46th overall, 67th offense, 35th defense
Syracuse: 40th overall, 61st offense, 31st defense

Injury update

Notre Dame

OL Pat Coogan - Out (Knee)
TE Eli Raridon - Out for season (Knee)

Syracuse

DB Garrett Williams - Questionable (Leg)
DB Neil Nunn - Out indefinitely (Undisclosed)

ATS/Total

Against The Spread

Notre Dame: 3-4 ATS
Syracuse: 6-1 ATS

Total

Notre Dame: Over 2-5
Syracuse: Over 2-5

Current lines at DraftKings Sportsbook

Spread: Syracuse -2.5
Total: 47.5
Moneyline: Syracuse -130, Notre Dame +110

Opening line: Syracuse -2.5
Opening total: 46

Weather

Weather a non-factor in a domed stadium.

The Pick

Under 47.5

This has the makings of a sleepy noon kickoff where both teams need a minute to get their respective offenses rolling. Defense has been the stronger of the units on both sides and it will dictate how this game goes. Take the under.