The Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Miami Hurricanes kick off their seasons with a primetime grudge match on Sunday.
The pregame narrative: Notre Dame fell just short of winning its first national championship since 1988 last year. Its upcoming campaign starts with a difficult test against Miami. Both squads figure to be in the playoff picture, meaning this will be a game we’ll certainly be talking about come selection day.
Check out my Notre Dame vs. Miami same-game parlay predictions for Aug. 31, featuring Carson Beck.
Notre Dame vs. Miami predictions
Parlay: Miami +3.5 | Under 52.5 points | Beck over 241.5 passing yards (+525)
Miami +3.5 (-150): The Hurricanes were busy this offseason.
Miami utilized the transfer portal to help bolster its defence. The team added seven defensive backs to strengthen its pass defence, headlined by nabbing Xavier Lucas from Wisconsin.
Of course, the most notable addition was quarterback Carson Beck. The ex-Georgia quarterback is healed from the elbow injury he suffered during the SEC title game.
Notre Dame, meanwhile, has some question marks on defence. The team lost a decent amount of defensive talent to the NFL, including standouts Benjamin Morrison and Xavier Watts, and didn’t do a great job replacing them.
On Saturday, we saw defence prevail in Texas-Ohio State and LSU-Clemson. I expect it to do the same in this contest. Corey Hetherman should make an instant impact as Miami’s new defensive coordinator and limit Notre Dame’s offence.
Fighting Irish vs. Hurricanes SGP picks
Under 52.5 points (-138): I don’t expect Notre Dame’s offence to push the pace in this contest.
The unit underwent a lot of change this offseason. Quarterback Riley Leonard departed for the NFL, while the team’s top receivers, Malachi Fields and Will Pauling, are newcomers.
There’s a lot of buzz surrounding CJ Carr, but there’s still a lot the freshman QB needs to prove.
The offence will likely lean heavily on Jeremiyah Love to begin this season, which means we can anticipate a more methodical pace from the Fighting Irish.
The shift from Cam Ward to Beck presents a likely downtick in production from the Hurricanes, although the offence did bolster its receiver room.
Beck over 239.5 passing yards (-118): This pick has less to do with Beck and more to do with the improved skill positions around him.
The Hurricanes completely revamped their receiver room. They added CJ Daniels, Keelan Marion and Tony Johnson this offseason to offset the loss of several key pieces from 2024.
The offensive line appears stacked on paper after the addition of James Brockermeyer, and the unit shouldn’t struggle to keep Beck upright.
Beck should test Notre Dame’s remade defence early in this contest, and that will lead to a high yardage output.
Notre Dame vs. Miami predictions made at 12:35 p.m. ET on 08/31/2025
Stevie’s an avid NFL, NHL, and tennis bettor who has no problem talking himself into the underdog. His previous stops include Yahoo! Sports Canada and Toronto Metropolitan University, where he received a degree in Sport Media.