2013 College Football Bowl Picks: New Era Pin Stripe Bowl Odds and Predictions – Rutgers vs Notre Dame 12/28/2013

2013 College Football Bowl Picks: New Era Pin Stripe Bowl Odds and Predictions – Rutgers vs Notre Dame 12/28/2013: Two teams that took sizeable steps backwards in 2013 will meet when the Rutgers Scarlet Knights (6-6, 3-5 AAC) take on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (8-4) in the New Era Pin Stripe Bowl Saturday. Heading into bowl season last year, Rutgers was a nine-win team that just missed out on a conference title. Meanwhile, the Fighting Irish were undefeated and preparing to play in the BCS title game. Both sides are simply trying to end the season on a high note this time around, and Notre Dame is a 14-point favorite.

Offense has been an issue for the Scarlet Knights all year. Heading into the bowl game, they rank 73rd in the country in scoring, 52nd in passing and 97th in rushing. To top it off, Rutgers has a bit of a quarterback controversy on their hands with Chas Dodd having taken over as starter for Gary Nova for the final two games of the year. The Scarlet Knights’ defense hasn’t been any better. The unit ranks 82nd in the country in points allowed, and Rutgers is allowing more points than it is scoring for the year.

An inconsistent offense and a solid defense have been the story for Notre Dame this season. Quarterback Tommy Rees has thrown 27 touchdowns for a passing attack that ranks in the top 50. However, a rushing attack that ranks outside the top 80 has led to an offense that ranks outside the top 75 in scoring. Defensively, Notre Dame ranks 31st in the country in points allowed.

The Scarlet Knights Win If:

For the Scarlet Knights to win the game, they have to be able to string together some consistent drives on offense. At the very least, they have to avoid mistakes on offense that set up the Notre Dame offense with easy scoring chances. Defensively, Rutgers needs to take advantage of Rees’ tendency to turn the ball over to create some decent scoring chances for its own offense. The Scarlet Knights don’t have the offense or defense to go up and down the field and beat the Fighting Irish, but if they can win the turnover battle, they could tip the scales in their favor.

The Fighting Irish Win If:

If Notre Dame is going to win the game, it is going to start with a strong effort from their defense. Rutgers has an inexperienced QB under center and a struggling offense, and if the Fighting Irish defense can force some short drives early on, they should control the field position battle. Offensively, Rees and company need to play mistake-free football and not help out the Rutgers’ offense by giving the Scarlet Knights a short field to work with. If Notre Dame can make sure Rutgers has to drive the length of the field in order to put points on the board, the Fighting Irish defense should rule the day.

Bottom Line:

Although inconsistent play resulted in some questionable losses for Notre Dame, there is no denying that the Fighting Irish have a legit defense. After all, they have victories over USC, Michigan State and Arizona State this season, and they took Pac-12 champion Stanford to the wire in a road loss. On the flip side, Rutgers struggled down the stretch, losing four of its last six games and scoring 17 points or less in all four losses. A struggling offense is not a great recipe for success when facing a Notre Dame team that is fueled by its defense. In the end, Rutgers’ offense just isn’t going to be able to move the ball consistently on offense, and the Scarlet Knights’ shaky defense will crack sooner rather than later.

Prediction: Notre Dame Fighting Irish (-14) Cover the Spread

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