High Expectations for Notre Dame vs. Wisconsin Showdown

Notre Dame, Wisconsin on Sunday is, it's a fun game because the Notre Dame expectations are so... Another team that I actually like don't know, like, well, how are they not the 18 number one sometimes? But it's fine. They're four. A 20.5 point favorite, a 46.5 listed total, CJ Carr, tons of Heisman buzz. They return almost the entire defense on what was one of the best defenses in the country. Wide receiver room looked strong. The offensive line is always incredible. And Marcus Freeman has really done what... I think this is fair to say, Dave, I don't know if I'll get pushback on this. Nobody thought it was possible. When Brian Kelly left for LSU, the idea was because he had reached the mountaintop of what could be achieved at Notre Dame. And then Marcus Freeman pretty quickly has shown people that that was not true. Notre Dame have not had expectations this high in some time. Notre Dame are completely different. When you talk about recruiting, as you know, they're in battles that they used to never be in, but all that's fine and well. They have to deliver. The expectation on this team is a minimum of 11 wins, if not an unbeaten regular season and maybe ripping off an unbeaten national championship season. Talk to me about the Fighting Irish. I like the Fighting Irish, and I totally agree with what you said about Marcus Freeman. I'm not sure anybody thought he would get this team to where it is. And keep in mind, he lost a couple of early games that made it look like he had no idea what was going on in South Bend and that replacing Kelly Freeman was a mistake. And he's rebounded from that to the point where NFL teams want him, and he keeps re-upping at Notre Dame. He has to turn down NFL offers after losing to Northern Illinois at home a couple of years ago. So, he's gotten this Irish team to where, you look at that schedule, you've got the Miami game. You've got a couple of other, you know, is BYU going to stop you? How good is SMU? They could absolutely run the table. You've got Miami at home. They're going to be in the college football playoff. I think we're past last year's should they have, should they not have. I know that kind of burned people the wrong way, them not getting in last year. Well, go ahead and beat Miami then, if you want in. They have a team that is set up with a Heisman Trophy winner in car, a defense that's unbelievable in my play on this game is the under, because I think the defense is that good, plus these neutral site games tend to go under the last couple of years at about 58% on the neutral site games. I could see Notre Dame putting up a lot of points, but you have one of the best defenses in the country that's all back, like you said. The 20 and a half is that that's a tricky line because you could see them covering that. But I think Wisconsin, not anywhere near the top of the Big Ten, I think Wisconsin sneakily could be one of those eight or nine win teams that hangs around and maybe knock someone off here or there. They're not going to knock Notre Dame off at Lambeau. But I do think that that's, that's a number that I'm staying away from. If it was 21 and a half, it might jump in, but at 20 and a half, it's no play and I'm leaning towards the under in this. Yeah, I think one of the important things to know guys right is these numbers can move a little bit. It is possible that by the time we get to Sunday kick, this is 21 and a half. Last season, back end of the year, every Notre Dame number just started to run. The closer and closer you got to kick. People just kept, you know, Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Notre Dame the whole way, and it would not surprise me if, you know, we end up with that here. I am very interested in this total because the under makes a lot of sense. I think when I first saw this game, what if Notre Dame pitches a shutout, and yet I do this to myself occasionally, as you will find, David, the more and more we work together, right? Somehow come out the other end thinking, all right, let's bet a total, let's bet it over. Colton Joseph interests me. I mean, the rushing numbers last year at ODU were absolutely brilliant. And I think the real question for me, I've not, I've not bet this game yet. I've not, you know, I will sort that out. I will sort that out tomorrow kind of as we get closer. I am leaning towards the over.