Pinstripe Bowl 2013 Preview: Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. Rutgers Scarlet Knights

The rich football tradition of the Fighting Irish will be nowhere near Pasadena when Notre Dame plays their last game of the season. Instead, they’ll visit a field with championship pedigree, albeit of a different kind, when they take on the Scarlet Knights in this year’s edition of the Pinstripe Bowl.

Other 2013-2014 College Bowl Previews:

BCS National Championship: Florida State vs. Auburn

Rose Bowl: Stanford vs. Michigan State

Orange Bowl: Ohio State vs. Clemson

Sugar Bowl: Alabama vs. Oklahoma

Fiesta Bowl: UCF vs. Baylor

Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. Rutgers Scarlet Knights in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl

When: 12:15 PM ET, December 28, 2013 [sc:NCAA240banner ]

Where: Yankee Stadium, The Bronx, New York

Money: Notre Dame (-700) vs. Rutgers (+500)

Spread: Notre Dame (-15.5) vs. Rutgers (+15.5)

Totals: 52.5

*All odds as of December 16.

| Notre Dame Fighting Irish | Rutgers Scarlet Knights
SU/ATS | 8-4/5-6-1 | 6-6/4-8
O-U | 5-7 | 5-7
Last Game | vs. Stanford (L 27-20) | vs. South Florida Bulls (W 31-6)
Player to Watch | QB Tommy Rees (2938 Passing Yards, 27 Passing TDs) | RB Paul James (113 Rushing Yards, 2 Rushing Touchdowns vs. South Florida)

Betting on Notre Dame:

It’s no secret that the Fighting Irish (8-4 SU) have had a tough season, but at least they get the chance to end it with a Bowl game.

Notre Dame opened their season with a 28-6 blowout win over Temple, but got skinned a week later by the Wolverines for their first loss, prompting the rankings to demote the Fighting Irish from No. 14 all the way down to No. 21. Since then, Notre Dame hasn’t climbed higher than that spot.

Three of Notre Dame’s losses were picked up against ranked teams, including the aforementioned Michigan team. The last came against the Fighting Irish’s previous assignment in Rose Bowl-bound Stanford.

Senior QB Tommy Rees has been forced to carry the brunt of Kelly’s offense since Everett Golson was expelled. Rees has 27 passing touchdowns to pace the Fighting Irish’s offense. He could have a landmark performance against Rutgers, who own one of the weakest FBS passing defenses (allowing 311.4 passing yards per game).

Notre Dame is 6-1 UNDER in their last seven games overall.

Bet now on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

Betting on Rutgers:

The Scarlett Knights began their season with a shootout loss against Fresno State, 52-51. They shook it off and embarked on a four game winning streak. The Scarlett Knights went 2-5 SU in their following seven games to finish the regular season with a 6-6 SU record, good for sixth in the American Athletic Conference. [sc:NCAA240banner ]

Fortunately for them, it was a strong enough effort to earn them a spot in the Pinstripe Bowl.

Rutgers clinched the rights to be in Yankee Stadium on December 28 when they won against South Florida, 31-6. The victory stopped a three-game skid for the Scarlett Knights, and it was accomplished by resorting to their established rushing defense, as the Bulls were limited to just 10 rushing yards on 20 carries. Rutgers is No.4 in the FBS in defense against the rush, making opponents claw for a measly 94.58 yards of grass per game.

The betting lines opened with Rutgers installed as 15.5-point underdogs. Note that the Scarlett Knights are 4-1 ATS in their last five games when underdogs by eight points or more.

Bet now on the Rutgers Scarlet Knights.

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