Notre Dame Football: Fighting Irish, Betting Favorites over Spartans Puzzling

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish (0-2) continue to empty pockets as betting favorites and will get another opportunity when playing host to the No. 15 Michigan State Spartans (2-0) on Saturday afternoon. Kickoff from Notre Dame Stadium is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET and will be televised on NBC.

Las Vegas oddsmakers sent out Notre Dame as five-point home favorites Sunday, which has caused over 80 percent of wagers to fly in on the ranked underdog.  All of the action has created just a half-point drop in the line.

Currently, the amount of betting interest on this game trails only one Saturday game on the entire board, as the No. 1 Oklahoma Sooners and No. 5 Florida State Seminoles square off in Tallahassee. 

It's setting up for an epic loss for Las Vegas sports books if the Spartans cover the number, or win the game outright for the fourth time in five years.

Let's take a look at five possible reasons why the Fighting Irish are favored.

Strength of Schedule Thus Far

Notre Dame has faced a more difficult schedule this year than Michigan State, but that's certainly no different than when these teams met in the third week during the 2010 campaign.

The Fighting Irish played Purdue and Michigan leading up to last year's 34-31 overtime loss as 3.5-point road underdogs in East Lansing.

That's very similar to the 2011 schedule; opening with a pair of losses to South Florida (23-20) and Michigan (35-31).

It's possible that oddsmakers have been impressed with Notre Dame's ability to out-perform opponents statistically, coming out with a 315-yard advantage in two weeks.

Michigan State has tallied wins over Florida Atlantic (44-0) and Youngstown State (28-6) as double-digit home favorites to open its season.

Too many similarities from last year to be favored.

First Quarter Numbers

Notre Dame has jumped out to 7-0 and 13-3 leads after the first 15 minutes in the last two meetings in this series.

There's certainly a possibility that the Irish will once again have the lead heading into the second quarter Saturday, as the team has out-gained its first two opponents by a 297-89 margin in the opening frame.

Many sports bettors will point to the fact that none of it matters when you allow 28 points and 229 yards in the fourth quarter against Michigan.

Definitely something to monitor once the ball kicks off.

Notre Dame QB Situation

Notre Dame quarterback Tommy Rees gets his first shot at knocking off the Michigan State Spartans in this series. 

The sophomore sat and watched Dayne Crist throw for 369 yards and four touchdowns with an interception in last year's 34-31 road loss as 3.5-point underdogs.

Rees has thrown for 13 touchdowns in his last five games and Crist is a good insurance policy due to the numbers mentioned above.

Either signal-caller gives the Irish a legitimate chance of winning this game.

Home Record vs. Big Ten Opponents

Notre Dame has played more Big Ten teams than any other conference during its storied history. 

The Fighting Irish have already dropped their first such contest, but that particular contest was played at Michigan Stadium.

The program has dominated when serving as host in this situation, registering a 117-47-5 all-time mark, including a 90-39-3 record inside Notre Dame Stadium.

Bettors may still look the other way, considering the program's 22-36 ATS mark in its last 58 chances against the conference.

Michigan State has also won six of the last seven meetings inside the famous venue.

Ranked Spartans in Unfamiliar Territory

There was plenty of discussion amongst professional bettors that the Michigan State Spartans were a bit overrated last year despite their 11-2 overall record.

Case in point, the team dropped a 49-7 contest to Alabama during last year's bowl season as 7.5-point underdogs.

I'm not in any way comparing the 0-2 Irish to the Crimson Tide, but the Spartans two losses last year were by a combined 73 points.

This will be the highest-ranked group to travel from East Lansing to South Bend in 32 years.

Notre Dame fans can only hope for the same result, as the school handed the No. 7 Michigan State Spartans a 27-3 loss on Sept. 29, 1979.