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

The Stanford Cardinal hold the edge in the recent rivalry with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, winning six of the last eight meetings, including victories the last two seasons. Can Notre Dame reverse that trend and keep its faint College Football Playoff hopes alive when it visits the Farm on Saturday night?

College football point spread: The Cardinal opened as one-point favorites, according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark. (Line updates and matchup report)

College football betting pick, via OddsShark computer: 34.0-26.6 Fighting Irish (College football picks on every game)

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Why the Notre Dame Fighting Irish can cover the spread

The Irish bounced back from that bad loss at Miami two weeks ago to beat Navy last week 24-17. Notre Dame trailed the Midshipmen 10-3 late in the second quarter but scored touchdowns on three straight possessions spanning the halves and held on from there.

On the day, in wind and rain, the Irish outgained Navy 327-318. So Notre Dame has outgained six of its last seven opponents, five of them by 100 yards and more.

At 9-2 overall but with no conference championship game to enhance their resume the Irish have one last chance of making the College Football Playoff. To do that they need to win impressively Saturday and hope for help from elsewhere.

Why the Stanford Cardinal can cover the spread

The Cardinal just won their second big game in a row last week, a 17-14 victory over rival Cal. Stanford took an early 3-0 lead and got within one score of covering a 14-point spread at 17-6 in the third quarter. But the Cardinal gave up a Bears touchdown and missed out on the cash.

On the evening Stanford outgained Cal 378-337, outrushed the Bears 193-155 and held a 33-27 time of possession advantage. The Cardinal have outgained five of their last seven opponents, and outrushed seven of their last nine foes.

Stanford will play this game without much consequence, because its Pac-12 championship hopes are totally dependent upon the outcome of Saturday's Washington-Washington State game. If the Huskies win, the Cardinal will play in the conference championship game; if the Cougars win, they won't. The games will be played simultaneously.

Smart pick

Stanford running back Bryce Love is dealing with sore ankles and could be limited. Also, the Cardinal will probably play this game with one eye on the scoreboard, and that's not always the best way to play a football game. Smart money here plays the Irish.

College football betting trends

The total has gone under in six of Notre Dame's last seven games against Stanford.

Notre Dame is 8-2 ATS in its last 10 games on the road against Stanford.

The total has gone under in six of Stanford's last seven games.

All college football odds and betting trends courtesy of Bleacher Report's official odds partner, OddsShark. All quotes gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. Check out Twitter for injury and line-movement updates and the OddsShark YouTube page for picks and analysis, or download the free odds tracker app.