A dominant win over Pittsburgh last week has solidified #9 Notre Dame’s playoff positioning. Now, the Irish hope to take care of business over the next two weeks to earn a CFP berth. That means earning a home victory against Syracuse on Saturday. The injury-plagued Orange have had a difficult 2025-26 campaign. Can they put up a fight on Saturday?
Notre Dame enters this contest as 35.5-point favorites (-110) over Syracuse, with the over/under set at 50.5 points on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Syracuse vs. Notre Dame prediction, preview
A 37-15 victory over Pitt has given the Irish a quality win they can add to their CFP resume. As is usually the case, Jeremiyah Love led the way with 147 rushing yards and a touchdown. It’s yet another terrific performance in a season full of them from the Heisman candidate. Elsewhere on offense, quarterback CJ Carr has impressed. Through ten games, the freshman has thrown for 2,487 yards and 21 touchdowns while tossing six interceptions. This well-balanced offense gives Notre Dame a level of versatility most other contenders lack.
The rub on the Irish earlier this season was a surprisingly shoddy defense. Early losses to Miami and Texas A&M saw a once-great secondary get picked apart. Since that point, things have improved dramatically. From Week 4 on, Notre Dame has allowed more than 15 points only once. That includes games against high-powered offenses such as USC, Arkansas and NC State. All-American Leonard Moore might be the nation’s top cornerback, making things difficult on opposing passers. Unsurprisingly, the team has snagged a whopping 17 interceptions.
Heading to South Bend is a challenging task for any team. That’s especially true for Syracuse, currently in the midst of a six-game losing streak. In fairness to the Orange, things would look a lot different if starting quarterback Steve Angeli were still healthy. Since the junior’s season-ending torn Achilles in Week 4, SU has yet to win a game. During that time, a once-dynamic offense has failed to score more than 18 points. Head coach Fran Brown has shuffled between two other QBs, now settling on sophomore Rickie Collins.
In fairness to the offense, Syracuse has put itself in a position where it needs to score. The team’s defense is giving up 31.5 points per game, the 20th-worst mark among all FBS schools. A notable point of weakness for the Orange is on the ground. Opponents are gaining 4.7 yards per rush against ‘Cuse, the second-worst mark in the ACC. That’s a dangerous statistic heading into a showdown with Love and talented backup Jadarian Price.
Syracuse vs. Notre Dame pick, best bet
There’s no question the Irish should be heavy favorites heading into this matchup. Still, we’ve seen them play down to their opposition at times, including a 25-10 victory over Boston College. I doubt that happens on Saturday, but a closer than expected contest wouldn’t be shocking. If anything, Syracuse’s dismal run defense could lead to a deceptively close score. Notre Dame should have no trouble grinding out the clock via Love and Price. If that occurs, the Orange won’t have much opportunity to score.
