Notre Dame vs Miami: Top Player Props and Best Bet for Sunday, August 31
The college football smorgasbord keeps on coming on Sunday evening as fans will be treated to their third top 10 matchup for the opening weekend. That game features the No. 6-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish heading south to face the No. 10-ranked Miami Hurricanes.
Notre Dame is coming off one of their strongest seasons in years by making the initial 12-team college playoff championship game. The Fighting Irish have lost significant pieces from last year’s squad and are a bit of a mystery heading into this season.
There’s no intrigue surrounding Miami’s quarterback position. The Hurricanes made a lot of noise this offseason by adding former Georgia quarterback Carson Beck, and he’ll enter the season as a Heisman contender for the ACC school.
It’s not the “Catholics versus Convicts” narrative of years past, but both fan bases want to see their team win this game. Which team should emerge victorious on Sunday? We’ll cover that and provide bettors with our top three player prop wagers for Notre Dame-Miami.
Miami Hurricanes QB Carson Beck UNDER 239.5 Passing Yards
Beck was the biggest name in the transfer portal this season, and rightfully so. At Georgia, he completed 64.7 percent of his passes last season for 3,485 yards, 28 touchdowns, and a dozen interceptions.
While Miami will task him with winning games, expect the Hurricanes to rely on another source to move the football against the retooled Fighting Irish defense (see below). Look for Beck to have a strong outing, but he’ll fail to cover his 239.5-yard passing prop on Sunday.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish RB Jeremiyah Love UNDER 79.5 Rushing Yards
There’s no question that running back Jeremiyah Love will be playing on Sundays next fall, so this weekend’s matchup against the Hurricanes is a taste of what the junior can expect in the near future.
Last season, he finished with 1,125 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns while splitting the backfield work with Jadarian Price. Both return this season, giving Notre Dame a nasty one-two push out of the backfield.
The difference here is that freshman starting quarterback C.J. Carr is no Leonard Riley. Without a strong decision-maker in the backfield, expect the Irish to line up in traditional run formations. That plays into Miami’s favor, giving bettors confidence that Love will not hit his player prop total.
Miami Hurricanes RB Mark Fletcher Jr. OVER 58.5 Rushing Yards
It’s not like Hurricanes running back Mark Fletcher Jr. came out of nowhere to win the starting role this season for Miami. Last year, he notched 112 rushes for 607 yards, backing up Damien Martinez.
Notre Dame was among the best in the nation against the run last season, but several key pieces of that defense aren’t on the roster this season. Expect the Hurricanes to test the defensive interior early and often, making Fletcher a strong bet to cover this player prop wager.
Best Bet: Miami (+2.5)
Last year, Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman was the tortured soul who needed to make the playoffs to show his athletic department he was the right man for the job. That mantle now falls to Miami’s Mario Cristobal.
Few coaches at high-level programs are under as much scrutiny as Cristobal is at his alma mater. The Hurricanes need to start hot and stay that way to make the college football playoffs, and beating Notre Dame is a priority. The Fighting Irish have not enjoyed strong starts to the season under Freeman during his tenure. Chalk this one up as another slow start for Notre Dame, especially with Carr making his first start on Sunday. Take the Hurricanes to win this game.
Ernie Horn
Sports Betting Contributor
Ernie is a 25-year veteran of the newspaper industry. He spent those early years working as a sports reporter and editor, but made the move back to the digital world in 2022. Ernie covers college football and NFL betting for Hello Rookie.
