Everything has gone according to plan for No. 11 Notre Dame the past two weeks. They defeated Louisville, arguably the toughest matchup on their regular season slate, and even had a bye week for recovery, rest and preparation. Up next, the Irish are generous 23.5-point favorites against the familiar faces of Stanford, a series in which the Irish are 4-1 SU/ATS in the last five annual meetings.

Notre Dame should be feeling confident in South Bend. Yet, the memory of being stunned by Northern Illinois isn't fading away just yet. 

Stanford vs Notre Dame Odds

Odds as of October 8

Stanford vs Notre Dame Picks – Week 7

Being heavily favored is a curse for Notre Dame, which hasn't covered a double-digit spread yet this year. Fingers would be pointed at an inconsistent offense, that has a habit of taking quarters off sometimes. For that reason alone, I'm backing away from Notre Dame at this price. 

It's easy to predict Riley Leonard's next move, as the senior has half as many rushing yards (376 YDS, 7 TDS) as he does passing yardage (750 YDS, 3 TDS). 

The only thing Stanford has working for it is the rushing defense, which is giving up just 104 YPG on the ground (ranked 19th). That's great for the Cardinals, but bad news for the Irish that clearly need their 214 rushing yards per game to string together wins. With the UNDER hitting in Stanford's last four straight, playing the total is the smarter move for this matchup.

Stanford vs Notre Dame Week 7 Pick: UNDER 44.5 Points (-110)

*picks made as of Tuesday, October 8 at 3:00 pm ET

Stanford vs Notre Dame News

Defensive end Boubacar Traore's season has come to an end after suffering an ACL tear in his left knee last week. The redshirt freshman made an immediate impact on the Notre Dame football program, leading his group with three sacks and 11 overall tackles. 

Stanford vs Notre Dame Prop Bet: riley leonard UNDER 178.5 Passing yards (-115)

I am once again taking the UNDER on Riley Leonard's passing props. It hasn't failed me yet and it won't let me down this week. 

I sound like a broken record but the senior has yet to even eclipse the 163 passing yard mark. Whether he's up against a solid passing defense like Purdue or a weak one like Northern Illinois, Leonard will always lean on his ground attack. 

Stanford vs Notre Dame Betting Trends