Purdue Boilermakers vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish Betting Odds, Prediction

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish will go from one rivalry game to another on Saturday when they play the Purdue Boilermakers at Indianapolis' Lucas Oil Stadium in a battle for bragging rights in the state of Indiana.

Bettors should know that Purdue has not had much to brag about lately overall or in the rivalry, as the Boilermakers have lost 11 of 12 overall along with the last six meetings in the series.

Point spread: The Fighting Irish opened as 29.5-point favorites, according to sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark, with a total around 56 points (line updates and matchup report).

Why the Purdue Boilermakers can cover the spread

Even though Purdue has struggled against Notre Dame recently, the team has still managed to go 4-1 against the spread in the last five meetings, with only one of them being decided by more than 11 points.

The Boilermakers hung tough in last season’s 31-24 loss to the Fighting Irish, taking a 17-10 lead into the fourth quarter before Notre Dame wide receiver DaVaris Daniels scored two touchdowns in a little more than three minutes to turn the game around.

Two years ago, Purdue was tied with the Irish before giving up the game-winning field goal with seven seconds left in a 20-17 road loss.

Why the Notre Dame Fighting Irish can cover the spread

Notre Dame looks like a team building confidence game by game, reminiscent of the unbeaten regular-season squad that lost to Alabama in the BCS Championship Game.

The common thread there is quarterback Everett Golson, who was suspended last season due to academics but has returned with a vengeance in leading the Fighting Irish to a 2-0 mark both straight up and against the spread.

Golson threw for 226 yards in a 31-0 win over Michigan last week, and he had 295 yards in the Irish's previous game against Rice, resulting in a 48-17 victory. Notre Dame has covered the last four regular-season games he has started.

Smart Pick

The Big Ten’s poor showing last week should not do anything but make bettors like the Fighting Irish in this game even more. Michigan is a much better team than Purdue and could not score a point despite holding an edge in yardage for the game.

The Boilermakers struggled to move the ball in a 38-17 home loss to Central Michigan last week. Quarterback Danny Etling threw two interceptions, including one that was returned 57 yards for the first score of the game. Etling did not play against Notre Dame last year.

Trends

• Purdue is 2-6-1 ATS in its last nine games as an underdog.
• Everett Golson is 15-0 SU as a starter for the Irish.

All point spread and lines data courtesy of Odds Shark. All quotes gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. Check out Twitter for injury updates and line move updates and get the free odds-tracker app.