The Syracuse Orange take on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in South Bend, Indiana. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. EST on NBC.
Notre Dame is favored by 35.5 points on the spread. The total is set at 50.5 points.
Here’s my Syracuse vs. Notre Dame prediction and college football picks for Saturday, November 22, 2025.
Syracuse vs Notre Dame Prediction
- Syracuse vs. Notre Dame Pick: Notre Dame 1H TT Over 23.5
My Notre Dame vs. Syracuse best bet is Over 23.5 points on the Fighting Irish's first-half team total. Find the best line available on our live NCAAF odds page.
Syracuse vs Notre Dame Odds
| Syracuse Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+35.5 -110 | 50.5 -110o / -110u | +4000 |
| Notre Dame Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-35.5 -110 | 50.5 -110o / -110u | |
- Syracuse vs Notre Dame point spread: Notre Dame -35.5 (-110), Syracuse +35.5 (-110)
- Syracuse vs Notre Dame over/under: 50.5 (-110o / -110u)
Syracuse vs Notre Dame Preview
Syracuse Orange Betting Preview: Downfall After Angeli's Injury
What was shaping up to be a promising season took a massive turn for the worse for Syracuse.
Exciting transfer quarterback Steve Angeli led the Orange to a 3-1 start – one that included quality wins over Clemson and UConn – before suffering an Achilles injury against the Tigers in September.
Since Angeli exited the lineup, Syracuse has lost six straight games, the closest of which was a 13-point loss to SMU.
The Syracuse offense crashed and burned, scoring no more than 18 points without Angeli. Rickie Collins has been the primary starter since, mustering just six touchdown passes against 10 interceptions.
Things are so bad that the Syracuse offense was operating better a few years ago when it plugged in tight end Dan Villari at quarterback. Head coach Fran Brown hasn't resorted to that option yet, but it surely can't be worse than what's fielded now. Only five teams have scored fewer points over their last three games than Syracuse.
The Orange generates a decent push on the ground, ranking 36th nationally in Rush Success Rate, and it pieces some quality drives together (36.7% is only 96th). But they simply cannot score inside the red zone – their 74.2% score rate includes both field goals and touchdowns (120th), and their 1.35 points scored per drive is 128th nationally.
On the other side, the defense is in about as bad a shape as the offense. Power Conference foes average 35.5 points per game and pass with the fourth-highest Success Rate on the Orange. Scoring comes easily against this subpar stop unit.
The concern, at least over the last two weeks of 2025, is that margins are widening. Syracuse is becoming progressively less competitive.
Syracuse gained just 22% of available yards two games ago against North Carolina, the team's lowest mark on the season. It has gained over 50% of available yards just once over the past four games. Combine that with red zone woes, and this is truly one of the worst-performing offenses in the country right now.
Brown still has the program in the right position. That was a competent team under Angeli, and the Orange currently holds the 25th-ranked recruiting class for 2026 – one that includes four-star receiver Calvin Russell, who would be the program's third-highest rated recruit ever.
However, with the starting quarterback down and the defense unable to compete, this year is a lost one for Syracuse.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish Betting Preview: On a Hot Streak
Notre Dame has something to prove.
Last year's national runners-up sit 8-2 with those losses coming (a) in the first two weeks under a new defensive coordinator and quarterback, and (b) by a combined four points to the 3rd- and 13th-ranked teams in the country.
Since getting their act together after that 0-2 start, the Fighting Irish have laid waste to their schedule. Only one team managed 17 points since Week 3 (24 by USC, which ranks third nationally in points per drive), and the Irish haven't played in a one-score game.
Taking Notre Dame in the vacuum of Weeks 4 through 12 (to be abundantly clear, a flawed way to rank things), there may not be a more complete team.
Running back Jeremiyah Love has nearly 1,500 yards from scrimmage and accounts for 17 touchdowns. His season has been so dynamic that he could wind up in New York (though his Heisman odds sit at +3500) and is overshadowing quarterback CJ Carr for the most part.
Carr ranks seventh nationally in passer rating and tied for first in yards per attempt (9.5) among non-service academy quarterbacks. He's already displayed professional traits at a high level despite being a redshirt freshman.
The offense is humming despite once again missing some major pieces. Tackle Charles Jagusah is missing another season with an injury sustained in the preseason, starting center Ashton Craig suffered a season-ending injury in October, and guard Billy Schrauth missed Week 12.
The Irish sustained heavy damage to their lines last season as well, yet still made a run to the National Championship.
This shift on defense cannot be understated. Many called an early failure for coordinator Chris Ash, but few defenses have been as good as Notre Dame since Week 4. It forced four USC turnovers and held the Trojans to just 44% of available yards in a 34-24 win.
Corner Leonard Moore and edge Boubacar Traore are turning in All-America seasons, and sophomore linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa is a true freak at linebacker.
With so much youth on this roster, Notre Dame appears poised to be one of the country's top defenses for the rest of this season and all of the next.
It's a team that nobody wants to be paired with in the first round of the College Football Playoff.
Syracuse vs Notre Dame Pick, Betting Analysis
Notre Dame opened as a steep 34.5-point favorite, a number bet up to 35.5.
The total also moved down a tick, from 51.5 to 50.5 points – that's notable as it moved through 51 points, the second most occurring total in college football over the last five seasons.
The Irish play their ninth game in 10 weeks but have not dropped a home game to an ACC team in their past 23 tries.
Meanwhile, Syracuse comes off a much-needed bye week.
Notre Dame sits center stage among College Football Playoff discourse. It checks in ninth overall, on the cusp of being booted by a conference champion. Its fate is almost certainly decided, as at least two teams in front of them will lose in a conference championship game.
Nevertheless, garnering enough respect to host a playoff game should be at the forefront of Marcus Freeman's mind. These last two games against hapless opponents offer an opportunity to score some style points.
The odds this week are fairly reflective of this possibility.
So, I'm looking for the Notre Dame offense to get after it in the first half.
Syracuse's defense ranks 128th in Rush Success Rate allowed, in the bottom 25 nationally in 10-plus yard rushes allowed, and in the bottom 40 in 20-plus yard rushes allowed.
Love and Jadarian Price should be able to strike early and often.
This is the only half line below a significant number (ND 1H -21.5 and 1H total over 28.5). This is a game that'll be over before it starts, especially in the final regular-season game played in South Bend this season.
Pick: Notre Dame 1H TT Over 23.5 (-132, FanDuel)
