Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. NC State Wolfpack Betting Odds, Football Pick

With its second straight victory/cover last week, North Carolina State snapped a five-game losing streak, both straight up and against the spread, over its previous five times out following wins. The Wolfpack hope to make it three in a row when they welcome Notre Dame into Raleigh on Saturday afternoon. 

Point spread: The Fighting Irish opened as 2.5-point favorites, according to sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark (line updates and matchup report).

College football pick, via Odds Shark computer: 34.5-32.3 Wolfpack (College football picks on every game)

Why the Notre Dame Fighting Irish can cover the spread

The Irish bounced back from that shocking loss to Duke to beat Syracuse last week in New Jersey 50-33, cashing as 13-point favorites. Notre Dame scored on the first play of the game when quarterback DeShone Kizer connected with wide receiver Equanimeous St. Brown on a 79-yard pitch-catch-run, and it was off to the races from there as the teams combined to score 36 points in the first five minutes.

The Irish toyed with the Orange, taking a 33-27 lead into the half then scoring the first 17 points out of the locker room to take control.

On the afternoon, Notre Dame racked up 654 yards of offense, as Kizer threw for 471 yards—356 in the first half alone. Brown ended up with four catches for 182 yards and two scores, and running back Josh Adams produced his second 100-yard rushing effort of the season.

With three defeats already, the Irish are down to playing for pride, but that doesn't mean they can't be a good wager.

Why the NC State Wolfpack can cover the spread

North Carolina State is 3-1 both SU and ATS on the season after beating Wake Forest last week 33-16, covering as a two-touchdown favorite. The Wolfpack drove for a touchdown on the opening possession of the game, led 17-0 after the first quarter and 23-3 early in the second, let the Demon Deacons get within 26-16 late in the third but added an insurance score with about six minutes to go to secure the victory and the cash.

NC State outgained Wake 527-352, outrushed the Deacons 200-69 and won time of possession by a 34-26 split. And that's how you win games and cover spreads in college football.

Transfer quarterback Ryan Finley tossed three touchdown passes last week without an interception. He now owns a 9-0 ratio of touchdowns to interceptions for the season. Also, with help from running back Matt Dayes, who's hit the century mark three out of four games this season, the Wolfpack have outrushed their first four opponents by an average of 109 yards.

Smart pick

Notre Dame has allowed 107 points over its last three games and been outrushed three out of five games. On the other side of the equation, this is a great chance for North Carolina State to earn some cred. If the Wolfpack can get the running game going and keep the Irish from making too many big plays, they should win this game.

Betting trends

North Carolina State is 2-10 SU in its last 12 games in October.

Notre Dame is 8-3 ATS in its last 11 games against teams with winning records.

The total has gone over in six of Notre Dame's last seven games.

All college football betting lines and point-spreads data courtesy of Bleacher Report’s official odds partner, Odds Shark. All quotes gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. Check out Twitter for injury and line-movement updates and Odds Shark YouTube for picks and analysis, or download the free odds-tracker app.