Michigan State at Notre Dame: Strong Early Results, No Clear Betting Edge
Notre Dame’s passing performance deserves attention, but two games of evidence leave substantial uncertainty around the spread and total.
The matchup and Notre Dame’s case
Michigan State visits No. 3 Notre Dame at Notre Dame Stadium on September 19 in the 2026 college football season. Both teams enter 2-0, with kickoff scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
Notre Dame beat Wisconsin 41-13 before defeating Rice 52-0. Against Rice, the Irish held a 478-128 advantage in total yards and allowed two third-down conversions in 12 attempts. CJ Carr completed 16 of 20 passes for 253 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions.
Those numbers support a favorable assessment of Notre Dame’s early performance. Still, the Rice victory included four recovered fumbles. Projecting another similarly lopsided result would require assuming that level of turnover help repeats.
Michigan State brings a rushing threat
The Spartans followed a 30-20 win over Toledo with a 35-7 victory over Eastern Michigan, producing 472 total yards and 258 rushing yards in the latter game. Cam Edwards has 250 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns through two games, including 152 yards and two scores against Eastern Michigan.
Michigan State’s 204 rushing yards per game provide a reason to consider its ability to sustain possessions. That two-game sample, however, does not establish how effectively the Spartans will run against Notre Dame.
Personnel adds uncertainty. A September 16 report listed Michigan State linebacker Jordan Hall as questionable with a right-arm injury. Notre Dame’s September 14 injury report listed multiple offensive and defensive linemen out for this matchup.