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Duke vs. Notre Dame: Early point spread released on Blue Devils vs. Fighting Irish

On3-Social-Profile_GRAYby:On3 Staff Report•09/24/23
hartman (35)
Notre Dame quarterback Sam Hartman. (Photo by Chad Weaver)

Duke has gotten off to an unbeaten start to the season, making next weekend’s contest against Notre Dame one of the most interesting in the country. The early point spread has been released, too.

Notre Dame will be a 6.5-point favorite in the contest, according to FanDuel.

The two programs have previously met seven times, with Notre Dame winning five of the seven contests, including the most recent two in 2019 and 2020. Duke’s last win came in 2016, when it won 38-35 in South Bend, Ind.

But this Duke program is playing at a different level right now. After a win over Northwestern, the Blue Devils jumped up into the AP Poll in convincing fashion, securing their highest ranking since 1994. And they managed to follow that up with a road win over UConn this week.

Notre Dame, meanwhile, has proven a legitimate potential College Football Playoff contender behind the arm of Wake Forest quarterback transfer Sam Hartman.

Hartman led the nation with 13 passing touchdowns entering Week 4 and a pivotal showdown with the Ohio State Buckeyes and is a big reason the early point spread favors the Irish.

Being able to regroup emotionally after that game against the Buckeyes will be key, because the Fighting Irish laid it all on the line. That’s where a strong running game helps, and the Fighting Irish certainly have had that.

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Through a third of the season, running back Audric Estime had already topped the 500-yard mark on the ground, running behind one of the most physical offensive lines in the country.

Bragging rights will also be on the line between two prestigious academic universities, universities that consider themselves in a similar elevated tier nationally.

Regardless, this figures to be a thrilling showdown.

Along with Hartman, Duke quarterback Riley Leonard has been excellent early in the season and is good enough to keep the Blue Devils in just about every game when he’s firing on all cylinders.

The game between the two programs will be played at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday with a broadcast nationally on ABC.