South Florida at Notre Dame

This is a tough spot for South Florida, travelling north to face a hungry, optimistic Irish bunch. South Florida QB junior B.J. Daniels was erratic as he tried to learn the new playbook, finishing with 11 TDs and 13 picks last season and this is a tough opener. 2010 was supposed to be a rebuilding year for Notre Dame under new coach Brian Kelly and despite a ton of injuries, the Irish impressed with an 8-5 SU/7-5-1 ATS campaign. Kelly added an up-tempo attack (25.8 points per game, 257 yards passing) to South Bend and they get back 6’-4” junior QB Dayne Crist (15 TDs, 7 INTs), who was lost halfway through the season (knee). Junior RB Cierre Wood (603 yards) is back after averaging 5.1 yards per carry. The defense, always a problem under Charlie Weis, made great improvements, allowing 20.2 ppg. The entire defensive front returns along with linebacker Manti Te'o. I see a huge effort from the home team and the Fighting Irish are 4-0 ATS in their last four games overall, 4-1-2 ATS in their last seven non-conference games. Play Notre Dame.