An online wager this season in college football on Notre Dame is going to be interesting. The Fighting Irish have a new head coach, a new attitude and they are going to be a lot more exciting. Whether that translates into more wins in online wagering is up for debate, but there is no question Notre Dame is going to be fun to watch.
Online wager results on Notre Dame a year ago had the Fighting Irish going 6-6 straight up and a very poor 4-8 against the spread. The Irish have Brian Kelly as their head coach this season and unlike Charlie Weis, he knows how to win. He built Cincinnati into a powerhouse and is already making his mark on the Irish in spring practice. He has the players moving at a very fast speed this spring. “Learning on the run is a big deal here,” he said. “Guys will learn to get used to it over time.” Quarterback Dayne Crist said, “The speed is the biggest difference.”
Last year when Kelly was at Cincinnati the Bearcats were last in the country in time of possession but they were fourth in scoring at 38.6 points per game. Things are going to move fast this season at Notre Dame and that makes them an interesting team to place an online wager on. “To really understand what needs to be done, they have to understand pace. They have to understand how we practice first before we can get into schemes and how we’re going to do things,” Kelly said, “I want to compete our butt off for four quarters. I want our guys to go to practice every day and compete, compete, compete,” he said. “If I can build that work ethic and that mentality, I’ll probably feel pretty good.”
Kelly is not going to put up with some of the things that Weis put up with and that should mean the Irish are a better bet in online wagering. He has already said that some of the marquee players need to get better. He singled out linebacker Manti Te’o and wide receiver Michael Floyd. “He’s got to get much better as a football player. He wasn’t very good.” Kelly said about Te’o. “He understands that,” Kelly said. He also said that Floyd needs to improve. “The volume that we’re going to throw at him is something that’s going to be new,” Kelly said.