What Though the Odds: Notre Dame Football vs. Rice Betting Preview

The #3 Notre Dame Fighting Irish will be featured on NBC Saturday afternoon when they host the Rice Owls at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Indiana. Kickoff is set for 3:30 PM ET.

About Last Week

As previously mentioned in last week’s UHND pick, Notre Dame was not able to score enough points against Wisconsin to equal the pain they had kept inside of them since December of last season, but they certainly tried to. It could not have been any more obvious than on Notre Dame’s last offensive possession of the game. On 3rd-and-4, with two minutes remaining on the clock and a 21-point lead, CJ Carr completed a 28-yard touchdown pass to running back Nolan James, sealing a 41-13 victory for the Irish.

That was how the game ended on offense for Notre Dame. How it began was an entirely different story, as Carr and company couldn’t seem to get things going right away. The Irish offense managed to score just 13 points by halftime, and 7 of those points came on a four-play, 13-yard drive thanks to a Wisconsin muffed kickoff return. Luckily, the Notre Dame defense was inflicting violence all night long.

Wisconsin was limited to 13 points for the game, including just three points in the second half. Badgers quarterback Colton Joseph rushed for over 1,000 yards last season while playing for Old Dominion, but was held to a measly three yards on 12 carries on Sunday night. He struggled passing the ball as well, as Notre Dame defensive back DJ McKinney intercepted one of Joseph’s passes and returned it 55 yards for a touchdown.

Collectively, Wisconsin recorded 284 yards of total offense, including 67 rushing yards. In comparison, Notre Dame’s offense tallied 350 total yards while scoring on all three of its second-half possessions. Next up: Rice

Key Injuries

Notre Dame

WR Quincy Porter (knee), OL Charles Jagusah (arm), OL Matty Augustine (foot), Chris Terek (knee), DL Christopher Burgess Jr. (tibia), DL Tiki Hola (knee), LB Ko’o Kia (shoulder), DB Chaz Smith (wrist), S Brauntae Johnson (foot), and DL Jason Onye (ankle) are out.

Rice

No injuries to report.

Betting Trends

• Notre Dame is 5-0 all-time against Rice.
• Notre Dame team total has gone over in eight of its last 12 games.
• The total has gone under in three of Rice’s last four away games.
• Notre Dame is 1-7 ATS in the first half of its last eight home games.
• Notre Dame is 7-6 ATS in its last 13 games.

Line and Total Breakdown

Rice (1-0) (0-0 ATS) at #3 Notre Dame (1-0) (1-0 ATS)

Home openers have not been kind to Marcus Freeman since being named head coach of the Notre Dame football team. He lost his first one in 2022 to Marshall, then subsequently lost two of the next three, including the last two seasons. A win on Saturday against an overmatched Rice team doesn’t sound like much to folks on the outside of Notre Dame’s locker room, but it’s of the utmost importance to Freeman’s players inside it.

“It really starts with coming out here every day, not taking practice for granted, practicing full speed, and being grateful that we get to come out here every day,” Irish linebacker Jaiden Ausberry explained. “And just knowing that, like I said, we haven’t won a home opener in the last two years, so this game means something for real.”

Notre Dame is 5-0 all-time against Rice, with its last win coming against the Owls in 2014 by the score of 48-17. This weekend’s game is projected to have a similar outcome, as Las Vegas bookmakers have the Irish listed as 44.5-point favorites with a total of 55. There is a plethora of reasons why the spread is so high, and one of them is the result of last week’s games for each team.

On the surface, the box score shows that Rice dominated the Houston Christian Huskies, 31-3. However, even after controlling the ball for nearly 20 minutes longer than the Huskies, the inside of the box score illustrates that the Owls’ offense was one-dimensional. Rice ran 80 plays while attempting just 11 passes. That’s a recipe for disaster against Notre Dame’s vaunted defense. The Irish held Wisconsin’s balanced attack to 2.2 yards per carry last week.

On the flip side of the ball, Houston Christian found some success on the ground against Rice. The Huskies carried the ball 35 times for 148 yards, averaging 4.2 yards per carry. The inability to stop the run could also spell doom for the Owls’ defense again this week, as they’ll be facing a group of Notre Dame running backs looking to make a name for themselves. The game against Wisconsin was a good start for the new faces toting the rock for the Irish, as Aneyas Williams carried the ball 20 times for 90 yards, including 4.5 yards per carry, and two touchdowns. Running back Nolan James showcased his ability as a receiver with four catches for 67 yards and a score.

After comparing both sides of the ball, this game shouldn’t be close. To make the game even more lopsided, Notre Dame also has the edge in kicking. Last weekend, Owls kicker Enock Gota made just one of two field-goal tries, while Irish kicker Spencer Porath was perfect on both of his attempts, including a 52-yarder.

So, when deciding which side to wager, the question isn’t whether the Irish will win. Instead, the question is by how many. Notre Dame will need to outscore Rice by at least 45 points to cover the 44.5-point spread. Historical trends demonstrate the Irish have won by that margin or more five times during the Freeman era. The total in those five games went over this week’s total of 55 points all five times. Pick: Over 55

Behind Enemy Lines Week 2

Western Illinois (1-1) (0-0 ATS) at Wisconsin (0-1) (0-1 ATS)

Western Illinois was blown out by Illinois State last week, 41-10. Wisconsin will still be trying to figure out what happened during its second-half meltdown in Week 1 as it lost to Notre Dame 41-13. Line N/A. Next game: Eastern Michigan

Eastern Michigan (1-1) (1-1 ATS) at Michigan State (1-0) (1-0 ATS)

Eastern Michigan will be coming off a 27-21 loss to San Jose State. Meanwhile, Michigan State added its first win of the season over Toledo, 30-20. Eastern Michigan is 6-3-1 ATS in its last 10 games. The Spartans have also been successful against the spread in their last 10 games, going 7-2-1. Line: Michigan State -18. Total: 50. Pick: Eastern Michigan +18

Wake Forest (1-0) (0-1 ATS) at Purdue (1-0) (0-1 ATS)

The Demon Deacons baptized Akron last week, 38-16, and Purdue spanked its little brother, Indiana State, 44-19. Wake Forest has won eight of its last 10 games. However, Purdue has lost nine of its last 10. Line: WF -3. Total: 50.5. Pick: Wake Forest -3

East Tennessee State (1-1) (0-0 ATS) at North Carolina (1-0) (1-0 ATS)

North Carolina will be looking to add its second win of the season when it faces lowly East Tennessee State this weekend. Line N/A. Next game: at Clemson

Stanford (1-1) (1-1 ATS) – Bye

Stanford fell victim to a home invasion against Miami last week, 45-6. The Hurricanes tallied 549 yards of total offense. Miami receiver Malachi Toney caught 12 passes for 234 yards and three touchdowns. Next game: at Duke

Arizona (1-0) (0-1 ATS) at #15 BYU (1-0) (1-0 ATS)

Last week, the Wildcats clawed the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks, 35-7. The Cougars sleepwalked through their easy win over Utah Tech, 63-7. The total has gone under in Arizona’s last six games. BYU is 8-2 ATS in its last 10 games. Line: BYU -8. Total: 48. Pick: Arizona +8

Navy (1-0) (0-1 ATS) at Florida Atlantic University (0-1) (0-1 ATS)

As expected, Navy sailed to victory over Towson a week ago, 42-15, and the FAU Owls were eaten by the Florida Gators, 66-21. Navy is 6-4 ATS in its last 10 away games. FAU has lost four straight games. Line: Navy -4.5. Total: 58.5. Pick: Navy -4 (buy the .5 point)

Florida A&M (1-1) (0-0) at #7 Miami (1-0) (1-0 ATS)

Miami violated Stanford last week, 45-6. The Hurricanes will now offer community service hours to Florida A&M in a glorified fundraiser on Friday night. Line: N/A. Next game: at Wake Forest

Rutgers (0-1) (0-1) at Boston College (0-1) (0-1 ATS)

Rutgers began its season with an embarrassing home loss to UMass, 37-21. Boston College didn’t fare much better, losing at Cincinnati, 34-15. Line: Boston College -3. Total: 54. Pick: Rutgers +3

UC Davis (2-0) (0-0) at #17 SMU (1-0) (1-0 ATS)

SMU capped off Week 1 of college football on Monday night with a 27-24 win over Florida State. Mustangs kicker Nick Reed connected on a 20-yard go-ahead field goal with just over 20 seconds remaining in the game. This week SMU will enjoy its week off against UC Davis as the team looks to prepare for Week 3 at Louisville. Line: N/A. Next game: at Louisville

California (0-1) (0-1 ATS) at Syracuse (1-0) (1-0 ATS)

California lost in the battle of the Bears to UCLA last week, 45-24. Syracuse had its way against New Hampshire, 66-3. California is 3-7 ATS in its last 10 games. The total has gone over in three of Syracuse’s last 10 games as a home favorite. Line: Syracuse -3.5. Total: 57. Pick: Syracuse -3 (buy the .5 point)

*Notre Dame 2026 opponents are listed in bold.