Aug 31, 2025; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish wide receiver Micah Gilbert (14) reacts after scoring a touchdown against the Miami Hurricanes during the second quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Early Notre Dame Betting Line: What Sportsbooks Think of the Irish vs Texas A&M

Originally posted on Notre Dame Fighting Irish on SI
By Mason Plummer | Last updated Sep 5, 2025 9:38 PM ET

Generally, it is not wise to schedule your two toughest opponents as the first two games of your season. Notre Dame does unconventional things all the time, though, this year included, by scheduling Miami and Texas A&M as its first two opponents of the 2025 season.

Truth be told, the season could be over before we know it if the Irish manage to fall to 0-2. Ripping off 10 in a row to get to 10-2 is a long shot, not to mention 10-2 is not a guarantee to get in.

Notre Dame would be in a MUCH better position to be in the College Football Playoff if it manages to defeat A&M in South Bend next Saturday - and Vegas seems to think they will.

Notre Dame, as is the case for 99% of college football programs, plays much better at home. It will feel much better about its odds to takedown the Aggies in Notre Dame Stadium than it would at Kyle Field, where the Irish pulled off a thriller last season to kickoff the 2024 season.

A&M returns a strong team in 2025 that will remember losing to Notre Dame last year and will be using that as fuel. They will not feel bad for the Irish being 0-1, and would prefer to make them 0-2.

Back to work.

Stay together ☘️#GoIrish☘️ pic.twitter.com/H3rZOkoSLE
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) September 1, 2025

FanDuel Sportsbook currently has Notre Dame as a -6.5 favorite over Texas A&M, which has been surprising to some on social media that follow betting trends. Despite losing in Miami, Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr played well in his first start.

That seems to be what is holding the Irish up as a favorite, along with the assumption that the offensive and defensive lines can't possible play as bad as they did in Miami given the talent they have.

Notre Dame defeated A&M in College Station last season despite coming in as a three-point underdog, winning the game outright 23-13.

The heroes of last season's rendition, running backs Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price, along with cornerback Christian Gray all return this year and will be looking to defeat the Aggies yet again.

Somewhat ironically, fans will be looking to see much more from Love, Price, and Gray next Saturday after their lackluster performances in Miami. Love and Price didn't have nearly enough touches for Notre Dame to be successful, even with the offensive line being pushed around like it was.

Vegas expects Notre Dame to have a bounce-back performance and get to 1-1 on the season.

This article first appeared on Notre Dame Fighting Irish on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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