The Notre Dame Fighting Irish head on the road to beautiful Miami, Florida, to take on the Miami Hurricanes in what will conclude a stacked weekend slate of college football.
Notre Dame fell to the Ohio State Buckeyes in the National Championship a season ago. This matchup between ND and Miami will answer a lot of questions about each respective program. Cam Ward departed from the University of Miami and was selected with the first overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. The Hurricanes wasted no time in bringing in former Georgia Bulldogs signal caller Carson Beck to lead the Canes this season.
The Fighting Irish also head into this season with new blood at quarterback when they announced the freshman CJ Carr as the new starter. Riley Leonard brought the program back into the limelight, but now it will be a quarterback with no college experience taking snaps. In what could be the most entertaining matchup of the weekend in terms of team implications, let's get into the nitty-gritty of the betting market.
How/where to watch Notre Dame vs. Miami
Time: Sunday, August 31, 7:30 p.m. ET
Location: Hard Rock Stadium
Channel: ESPN
Notre Dame vs. Miami odds, spread, O/U
The Fighting Irish come in as slight 2.5-point favorites on the road for their season opener. All odds are according to FanDuel Sportsbook, but the moneyline is razor close in this matchup.
Spread: ND -2.5 (-114)
Moneyline: ND -140, Miami +120
Over/under: 50.5
Best bets for Notre Dame vs. Miami
Season openers are the best time to get your money in the betting market for a good price. There's no knowledge on either of these teams, especially considering the quarterbacks have no game action with each program.
Best bet: Miami moneyline (+120)
I'm not overthinking this one and taking the Hurricanes on the moneyline for slight + value. Carson Beck is an experienced college quarterback, whereas CJ Carr has no starts under his belt. Miami also added many SEC-level transfers, including on the line of scrimmage. If Vegas is essentially denoting that it's a "toss-up" for the game winner, taking the team at home is usually the safer play.
Both programs underwent significant changes in the offseason, but Miami has more stability at quarterback and both sides of the line of scrimmage. Beck has a 24-3 record as a starter, and CJ Carr will have a lot on his plate with a revamped Miami defense led by a new defensive coordinator.
Player prop bet: Jeremiyah Love over 79.5 rushing yards (-114)
Another one that I would not overthink. With a brand new quarterback calling plays, you can expect a heavy dose of Jeremiyah Love. He averaged just over 10 carries/game last season, but remember Notre Dame's former quarterback, Riley Leonard, also took off with the football several times a game. Without Leonard stealing carries, expect Love to be featured just a little bit more than last season.