Notre Dame vs. Florida State betting odds, preview, and pick

College football fans can look forward to a rematch of the 1993 "Game of the Century" on Sunday, Sept. 5 when Notre Dame takes on Florida State in Tallahassee.

While this game very clearly doesn’t have that kind of build-up, it still features two traditional powers and a top-10 team on the road in a nationally-televised game. Let’s take a closer look at the matchup.

Expectations are high for Jack Coan

For four years the Notre Dame Fighting Irish had one player under center leading the offense. Record-breaking QB Ian Book led the way with excellent athleticism and a winning attitude that gave head coach Brian Kelly a reliable presence. Book has moved on to the NFL, and taking his place is former Wisconsin quarterback, Jack Coan.

Coan spent three years at Wisconsin, one as the full-time starter, before losing his job to Graham Mertz in 2020. Coan opted to transfer to Notre Dame where he was able to win the starting job for his consistency and reliability. He had a 69.6% completion percentage in 2019, and Kelly will count on Coan to continue that high percentage on his new team.

Supporting Coan will be four new offensive lineman. The Irish will be starting a true freshman at left tackle in Blake Fisher, and only their starting center, Jarrett Patterson, and starting running back, Kyren Williams, are back from last year’s starting 11.

FSU will find Inspiration in Bowden

None of the players on FSU’s roster were even in high school when Bobby Bowden retired from coaching, but any player or fan of the school surely felt and continues to feel the hand that Bowden applied to forever change the path of this program. With Bowden passing at age 91 on Aug. 8, the team will be honoring him throughout the season.

In a sport that often requires and sometimes rewards visceral passion borne out of shared desire, it's easy to imagine that the inevitable pregame highlights of Bowden-era Seminoles teams will instill a tremendous sense of pride and effort in this FSU roster. Whether they can maintain their effort through all 60 minutes is worth questioning, but home field advantage for the underdog should certainly be in play.

Notre Dame and Florida State Betting Trends

• Notre Dame is 5-0 straight-up in its last five road games
• Notre Dame is 14-1 in its last 15 games against an ACC foe
• Florida State is 8-2 straight-up in its last 10 home games
• The last three matchups between these two teams have gone Over the projected total
• In FSU’s first year under Mike Norvell, they were 6-3 to the Over

Seminoles will be far better in Year 2 under Norvell

The Seminoles were bad in 2020, struggling to a 3-6 record thanks to a mediocre passing game and a bad defense. That shouldn't be such a big issue this season thanks to the addition of UCF transfer McKenzie Milton on offense, and better play from redshirt seniors Keir Thomas and Jermaine Johnson on defense.

Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell has a strong history of improving his teams as he gets more time, and with the talent on this roster there are promising signs he can continue that trend. Notre Dame has a more solid foundation as a program, but breaking in an almost completely new offense in a tough spot on the road will be a challenge. I expect the Irish to win but for things to be a gritty struggle.

Score Prediction: Notre Dame 31, Florida State 24

NCAAF Week 1 Pick: Florida State +7.5