Bodog Beat

Jimmy Clausen and the Fighting Irish take on Purdue this weekend. (AP Images)

You can understand if the fans in South Bend are a little edgy after the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (2-1 SU, 1-2 ATS) lost 23-7 last week at Michigan State (-8.5). They’re just not used to rebuilding.

This week’s opponent is not nearly as good as the Spartans. The Purdue Boilermakers (2-1 SU, 1-1 ATS) lost to Oregon in overtime and struggled mightily to beat Central Michigan. Now they make the short trip to Notre Dame Stadium as a pick’em versus the Irish on what should be a beautiful Saturday afternoon. NBC has the national coverage.

The major weaknesses of these two teams cancel out: Notre Dame’s running game and Purdue’s run defense. But the Boilers’ pass defense is also not very good: No. 90 in the FBS at 234.7 yards per game. That’ll give QB Jimmy Clausen (six TDs, six INTs) the room he needs to get the win for the home team. Get all your NCAA College Football Odds in the Bodog Sportsbook today!