Purdue Vs. Notre Dame Week 1 Spread Preview And Score Prediction

Brian Kelly starts his head coaching career for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in two Saturdays. He is expected to bring the Golden Domers to glory quickly, and losses right off the bat would be devastating. Here at BetVega, we take a look at three keys to their first game of the 2010 college football betting campaign at home against the Purdue Boilermakers.

- Purdue-Notre Dame Week 1 Point Spread: Notre Dame -12 points (opened at -10.5)

- Purdue-Notre Dame Week 1 Over-Under: 54 points (opened at 52)

- Recent Betting Trends: - Purdue: Under is 28-11-1 in PURD last 40 games on grass - Notre Dame: 3-8 ATS in their last 11 games overall, 4-9 ATS in their last 13 games on grass

Purdue vs. Notre Dame Key #1: How will the Irish react to not having Jimmy Clausen under center?

- This isn't just going to be the key to this game, but the key to the 2010 season as well. Dayne Crist is going to be taking over after throwing just 20 passes last year. He is going to have a great receiving corps to work with even though Golden Tate moved on to the NFL along with Clausen. Michael Floyd and Kyle Rudolph could both be 1,000+ yard receivers if Crist does his job. Kelly has a history of forming great quarterbacks, and Crist could become the next in a long line of success stories for his head coach.

Purdue vs. Notre Dame Key #2: Does Ralph Bolden have a huge game in him?

- Quite possibly. With a tenuous quarterbacking situation, the Boilers might be reverted to a rushing team at times this season. Bolden toted the rock 200 times last year, picking up 935 yards and nine scores. He was also critical in the passing game, coming in third on the team in receiving yards (261) and fifth in receptions (20). Notre Dame's rush defense has a lot of work to do after allowing 170.2 yards per game last season, the 89th best mark in the country. Even though the Irish are in the limelight once again with a new head coach, everyone seems to give them their best shot. Bolden should take advantage of the situation, especially if Purdue has any hopes of leaving South Bend victorious.

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Purdue vs. Notre Dame Key #3: Will the aura of South Bend return immediately?

- Kelly knows his first goal at Notre Dame should be to reacquire dominance in South Bend under the watchful eyes of Touchdown Jesus. This is the first of eight home games for Notre Dame this year, and it is a very manageable schedule that had better produce at least six wins. The Irish only went 2-6 ATS at home last year, and that should change, perhaps starting with this game against Purdue to kick off 2010.
There are too many changes on this Purdue team for it to be considered better than last year's 5-7 club that narrowly missed out on a bowl game. Notre Dame has plenty of changes as well, but its changes feel like they are for the better. Irish eyes should be smiling upon the Golden Domers in this one. The 11 point spread on the college football betting lines seems to be a bit insulting, especially against a bunch of Boilermakers that simply weren't that good last season.

Purdue vs. Notre Dame Score Prediction: Notre Dame 38 - Purdue 20