Analysts agree on huge Notre Dame-Arkansas predictions

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish probably have to win out to have a shot at the College Football Playoff, but they can only take it one game at a time. Now 1-2, they have a chance to get back to .500 against Arkansas. Two CBS Sports insiders believe they will do just that.

The spread is the Irish by 4.5 points on BetMGM, and the over is 64.5 points according to DraftKings and FanDuel. Chris Hummer wrote, “Take the over. These teams have allowed points in bunches early this season, and I expect that to continue. It’ll be interesting to see how Arkansas responds after back-to-back devastating losses.”

He believes Arkansas coach Sam Pittman is on the hot seat and that a win is crucial to cooling it down, but it might not happen. Can the Razorbacks slow down the Irish backfield? That’s not likely. “The Razorbacks rank 113th nationally in defensive rushing success rate, which is an issue against Jeremiyah Love.”

The Fighting Irish secondary has been bad, though, and might have some trouble this weekend. Still, Hummer picked the Irish to win 38-34. Brad Crawford also believes they’ll win, but 34-27 instead. He wrote, “Are the Razorbacks a sinking ship under Sam Pittman or can this offense with Taylen Green generate enough explosives to make Marcus Freeman and the Irish pull their hair out defensively?”

He admitted that the Irish being ranked still, despite clearly not being an elite team, is because of their brand and the starting point (sixth in preseason AP Poll). The defense has been so porous, but this is a must-win game that should tell everyone a lot about who the Irish are.