College football odds: Notre Dame rare home underdog vs. Georgia Tech
The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets are 8–1 straight up and 9–0 against the spread over their last nine games. Paul Johnson’s team will look to stay hot on the road this week in South Bend against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
Georgia Tech is a 2.5-point road favorite according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. This marks just the fifth time since November 2010 that the Fighting Irish are a home underdog, with Notre Dame going 3–1 SU and ATS in those previous four instances.
Since the second half of the 2014 season, Georgia Tech has been one of the best ATS plays in college football. The Yellow Jackets ended last season on a 6–1 SU and 7–0 ATS run that included outright upsets over Clemson, Georgia and Mississippi State. This season, Georgia Tech has picked up where it left off in blowing out Alcorn State and Tulane by a combined score of 134–16 to start 2015 off 2–0 SU and ATS.
Malik Zaire's fractured ankle leaves Notre Dame with no margin for error
Of course, Georgia Tech will face a much tougher defense this Saturday squaring off against Notre Dame. The Yellow Jackets have had success against the Irish in the past with a 2–2 SU and 4–0 ATS record in their last four meetings per the OddsShark College Football Database.
Notre Dame is off to a 2–0 SU start to the season, but that hasn’t prevented the first couple games from being disastrous to the team’s playoff chances. The Irish have already lost their starting quarterback (Malik Zaire), running back (Tarean Folston) and tight end (Durham Smythe) to season-ending injuries.
Notre Dame’s stout defense has been the key to the team’s success in recent years, and it will need to step up even more now with the offense decimated by injuries. The Irish are 5–0 SU in their last five games in September.
• GREEN: Pick Six: Breaking down odds, best bets for top Week 3 games
The total for Saturday’s Yellow Jackets vs. Fighting Irish matchup is set at 55 points. The OVER is 4–0 in Georgia Tech’s last four games and 8–1–1 in Notre Dame’s last 10.
Even against an offense as strong as Georgia Tech’s, the Notre Dame’s defense should keep the Irish in the game. Sophomore quarterback DeShone Kizer will need to be strong in his first career start for Notre Dame to get the win at home.
