NCAAF Week 5: Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. Duke Blue Devils betting picks, preview

This is actually a big game. Duke grabbed our attention with their win over Clemson and Notre Dame is Notre Dame, even after losing a close game to Ohio State. We also have a couple of the savviest quarterbacks in the nation so this one could easily come down to which program has the best approach. That might lean in the direction of the Blue Devils ... in football. 

Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. Duke Blue Devils Betting Trends and Odds   

Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023 — 7:30 p.m., ET

Odds: Notre Dame -5.5, Over/under 52.5, Notre Dame -250 | Duke +170

Even though they have not stumbled after beating Clemson, Duke is not getting a lot of love in this spot. The majority of the money and tickets are on Notre Dame even though the Irish are in a pretty classic letdown spot on the road after a high-profile, physical loss against Ohio State. This number is in the dead zone and I would expect it to go up. 

Pick for Notre Dame vs. Duke

Duke +5.5

The Blue Devils definitely caught our attention with that win over Clemson to start the season. Even if that game had just been competitive I think I would have liked them in this spot. I like their quarterback Riley Leonard a lot. He is going to play in the NFL and I like his mobility and ability to avoid mistakes against more talented teams (yes ND is that). Duke coach Mike Elko has upped the talent though and the defense is really good so I think they can be competitive against Notre Dame quarterback Sam Hartman and national rushing leader Audric Estime. Playing at home helps and so does getting the Irish off a punishing and disappointing result. Duke will make them earn it and might win outright again. 

I can see this one getting to -6.5 but probably not higher than that. You can wait or bet it now but I doubt we see the full 7. It is a night game so people might use it to chase early losses.