Newsstand: What is the spread for the Syracuse vs. Notre Dame game?

Vegas likes Notre Dame football (8-2) to win big against Syracuse (3-7) on Saturday. According to BetMGM, the Fighting Irish are a 35.5-point favorite over the Orange. It’s the largest spread between two Power Four schools this week and the second-largest overall, trailing only Georgia, which is a 45.5-point favorite over Charlotte.

Oddsmakers must have paid attention to how Notre Dame has handled its home regular-season finale the last three years in the Marcus Freeman era. Since 2022, the Irish have outscored opponents 121-24 on senior day. They’ve covered the spread in all three games.

This season, Notre Dame has had uncharacteristic trouble against the spread, failing to cover in five of 10 games. Before the season, the Irish were 26-13-2 ATS under Freeman, a mark that ranked among the best in college football.

The last two weeks have resembled what sports bettors expect from a Freeman-coached team. By beating Navy and Pittsburgh by 39 and 22 points, respectively, the Irish covered spreads of 30.5 and 13.5.

Syracuse, meanwhile, is 4-5-1 ATS in 2025 and has failed to cover in three of its last four games. The Orange did hit the number last Saturday in a 38-10 loss to Miami, which was favored by 28.5.

The Orange are on a six-game losing streak and haven’t won since starting quarterback Steve Angeli went down Sept. 20 with an Achilles injury. The former Irish signal-caller led Syracuse to a 3-1 start.

Notre Dame needs a win Saturday to keep its College Football Playoff hopes alive. And Vegas expects the Irish to have little trouble doing so. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET, and NBC will have television coverage.

Notre Dame Posts of the Weekend

Head-to-head matters — but so does context. So does timing. So does momentum. Who you lose to and when you lose absolutely matters in college football.

Notre Dame and Miami have the same record. The difference?

Notre Dame lost to Miami in Week 1 by 3 points with a QB making his… https://t.co/zZtAYw1Yab

— Jonas Gray (@JonasLGray) November 16, 2025

Marcus Freeman didn’t dabble in any noise tied to Notre Dame vs. Pitt, from College GameDay to Pat Narduzzi.

“I don’t have time to focus on anything else but this football program and what we have to do. And if I’m focused on something other than that, then I’m wasting time.” pic.twitter.com/g7t7zlAyoZ

— Tyler Horka (@tbhorka) November 17, 2025

Not 1️⃣ but 2️⃣ #SCTop10 plays ☘️#GoIrish☘️ pic.twitter.com/gLFBxfQhbU

— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) November 17, 2025

Notre Dame Quote of the Weekend

“I don’t think we played our best game today against a really good Notre Dame football team. But it starts with me. We’ve got to do a better job as coaches preparing.”

— Pittsburgh coach Pat Narduzzi, after losing 37-15 to the Irish on Saturday.

Notre Dame Headlines of the Weekend

• Snap counts, run-pass splits: ND defense in win over Pitt
• Behind The Ballot: Ranking the best and worst College Football Playoff matchups for ND
• Breaking down PFF game grades for ND offense in win at Pitt
• ND QB commit Noah Grubbs dominates playoff opener with six touchdowns
• How ND target Matt Sieg still shined in Fort Cherry’s semifinal loss
• Snap counts, run-pass splits: ND offense in win over Pitt
• Four Takeaways: ND men’s basketball fails to finish at Ohio State
• Where does ND football rank in the Week 13 AP Poll?
• What they’re saying about ND’s 37-15 victory over Pitt
• College Football Playoff projections: How will Week 12’s action affect ND?
• Breaking down PFF game grades for ND defense in win over Pitt
• ‘We definitely got dominated’: Everything Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi said after losing to ND
• At The Mic: Postgame quotes from ND players and Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi