Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. Purdue Boilermakers Predictions, Picks, and Betting Preview – September 13, 2014

For fans of both Purdue and Notre Dame, this is one game you can’t afford to miss. One of college football’s historic rivalries will take place for what could be the final time on Saturday night as the Fighting Irish and the Boilermakers square off in one last titanic showdown. Notre Dame will move to the ACC in 2015.

Who will have final bragging rights in this long-standing rivalry? Read on for a preview of this game and while you’re at it, check out the best college football games to watch in Week 3.
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Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. Purdue Boilermakers Betting Preview and Prediction

Where: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana

When: Saturday, September 13, 2014, 7:30 PM ET

Line: Purdue Boilermakers (+28.5) at Notre Dame Fighting Irish (-28.5) – view all NCAA Football lines

Betting on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Notre Dame enters its game with rivals Purdue full of confidence after the shellacking they handed to their old foes Michigan on Saturday night.

[sc:NCAA240banner ]With their rivalry going into hiatus, No. 16 Notre Dame delivered a performance for the ages as they beat the Michigan Wolverines 31-0, snapping Michigan’s NCAA record streak of games without being shut out at 376.

That is certainly bad news for the Purdue Boilermakers. They will have to contain QB Everett Golson, who was in solid form for the Fighting Irish once again, completing 23-of-34 passes for 226 yards and three touchdowns against Michigan.

An argument can definitely be made that Golson is the best college quarterback in the country right now. Through two games, Golson has completed 37-of-56 passes for 521 yards and has accounted for Notre Dame’s eight touchdowns this season.

Notre Dame’s defense also has impressed this early in the season and might not be the weak link that some have thought it would be after a slew of high-profile departures to the NFL this past offseason. Through two games, they have allowed a total of just 17 points and that will serve them in good stead ahead of their game against Purdue.

The Fighting Irish have won eight of their last nine games against the Boilermakers dating back to 2005, including the last six.

Notre Dame is 9-1 in their last ten home games dating back to August of last season.

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Betting on the Purdue Boilermakers

Heading into their much-hyped game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, the Purdue Boilermakers are in all sorts of trouble. The Boilermakers were upset 38-17 at home by Mid-American Conference team Central Michigan in a game that featured plenty of penalties and turnovers and all-around sloppy play.

The Boilermakers simply had no answer for Central Michigan’s Cooper Rush and running back Thomas Rawls. Rush finished 11-of-16 for 172 yards with one interception while Rawls ran 31 times for 155 yards.

What really doomed Purdue’s chances, however, were their inexplicable penalties and turnovers early in the game which left head coach Darrell Hazell frustrated after the match. He said, “We had way too many penalties today, and they were big ones. That is something that needs to be addressed to ensure we are much improved in that area.”

By halftime, the Boilermakers had already collected three penalties on kickoff and punt returns and lost their best defensive player, Frankie Williams, after he hit a defenseless receiver in the head and was called for targeting. To add to their woes, they gave away a fourth-down conversion because of an illegal substitution.

It became so bad that Hazell decided to yank starting quarterback Danny Etling (17-of-32, 126 yards, 2 INTs) in the fourth quarter to give backup QB Austin Appleby a shot. Appleby completed 7-of-17 passes for 78 yards and the question now is if that performance enough to grab the starting position away from Etling for good.

Regardless of whoever starts on Saturday night though, the Boilermakers will have to improve on their away form which was atrocious last season. Purdue finished 0-6 in their travels last year.

Writer’s Prediction

Notre Dame will stamp its class against Purdue and bring its record to 3-0.
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