Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. Temple Owls Betting Odds, College Football Pick

The Temple Owls are off to their best start in program history, a perfect 7-0 straight up and 5-2 against the spread, playing themselves into contention for a New Year's Day bowl. The Owls get a shot at their biggest win in recent memory when they host 6-1 Notre Dame Saturday night at the Linc in Philadelphia.

Point spread: The Fighting Irish opened as 10.5-point favorites, according to sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark. (Line updates and matchup report)

College football pick, via Odds Shark computer: 30.8-27.6 Fighting Irish

Why the Notre Dame Fighting Irish can cover the spread

The Irish are not only 6-1 SU this season, they're also 6-1 ATS after beating USC two weeks ago, 41-31, covering as six-point home favorites. Notre Dame then had last week off.

The Irish trailed the Trojans after three quarters, 31-24, but scored the game's next 17 points to take control. On the night Notre Dame outrushed USC 214-150, as running back C.J. Prosise topped the 100-yard mark for the fifth time already this season.

The Irish have lost once this season, by two points at Clemson, even though they outgained the Tigers that night by 140 yards. That loss looks better now, considering what Clemson has done recently.

Why the Temple Owls can cover the spread

Temple thought it had a good chance of returning to a bowl this season, with 19 starters back from a 6-6 team that got snubbed last year, and now the Owls have even bigger things in mind. Temple ran its record to 7-0 last week with a 24-14 come-from-behind victory at East Carolina, winning that game outright as a three-point road dog.

The Owls trailed the Pirates 14-10 late into the fourth quarter, took a lead on a P.J. Walker touchdown pass to Robby Anderson with just under four minutes to go, then blocked a punt and turned a short field into an insurance score, securing the victory.

Two weeks ago Temple outgained Central Florida by 227 yards in a 30-16 victory, and three weeks ago it outgained Tulane by 235 yards in a 49-10 win. The Owls also already own wins this season over Penn State and Cincinnati. But what they'd really like is a signature victory against a big-time foe, like Notre Dame.

Smart pick

Temple is a great story, but the winning streak will probably come to an end this week. And playing on the road means the spread is a little more amenable to the visiting Irish. Give the points here with Notre Dame.

Betting trends

Notre Dame is 12-2 SU in its last 14 games in October.

Temple is 8-0 SU and 6-2 ATS in its last eight games.

Notre Dame is 19-1 ATS in its last 20 games on the road in October.

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