Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. Stanford Cardinal Betting Odds, Football Pick

The favorite is 8-2 straight up over the last 10 meetings between Notre Dame and Stanford, but the underdog is 7-3 against the spread during that span, as the teams have played a bunch of close games over recent seasons. The Irish will go off as the underdog for Saturday night's clash with the Cardinal out on the Farm.

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

College football pick, via Odds Shark computer: 36.8-33.7 Cardinal

Why the Notre Dame Fighting Irish can cover the spread

Notre Dame extended its winning streak to six games with a 19-16 victory over Boston College Saturday night at Fenway Park. The Irish, as two-touchdown favorites, built a 19-3 fourth-quarter lead before allowing the Eagles to score twice, the second time with under a minute to go, to cough up the cash.

On the night Notre Dame outgained Boston College 452-302, and 80 of the Eagles' yards came on one play. The Irish might have really blown Boston College out, but they committed five turnovers, three inside the Eagles' red zone. Notre Dame has now outgained nine of 11 opponents this season, seven of those by at least 120 yards.

Why the Stanford Cardinal can cover the spread

Stanford just clinched its third berth in the Pac-12 Championship Game in the last four seasons with a 35-22 victory in the Big Game over Cal last week, covering 10 points. The Cardinal took a 21-6 lead into halftime, with help from a 98-yard kickoff return for a score by Christian McCaffrey, let the Bears get within 21-16, then put the game and the cash away with a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns.

For the game, Stanford ran the ball for 260 yards, as McCaffrey went off for 192, and he also scored on a pass reception. The Cardinal are now 9-0 SU and 8-1 ATS when they've outrushed opponents this season.

Stanford may have two losses, but it still harbors hopes of making the College Football Playoff. It would take an impressive victory over the Irish, and help from elsewhere, but hey, there's still hope.

Smart pick

Stanford has McCaffrey, while Notre Dame will probably play without leading rusher CJ Prosise. Also, the Cardinal are 5-1 ATS at home this season, while the Irish are 2-3 ATS outside of South Bend. Finally, Notre Dame just played in Boston last week and now heads out to the Left Coast for this one. The smart money here sides with Stanford.

Betting trends

Notre Dame is 7-2 ATS in its last nine games on the road against Stanford.

Stanford is 9-1 SU and 8-2 ATS in its last 10 games.

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.