Originally listed at 28-1 Odds of winning the 2014 BCS championship game, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish have fallen to 60-1 Odds of winning the title in 2014. Clearly the reason for this is the loss of Everet Golson, who has been suspended for the Fall term.
Next man in. That's the phrase Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly has preached during the first three seasons of his tenure with the Irish, and it hasn't been as palpably relevant until the present. Since Golson's suspension spans the entirety of the fall semester, the 6'0", 185-pound quarterback will not be with the team for the 2013 season.
The consensus belief is that Kelly will anoint Rees as the Irish's starting quarterback for the second time in his career, much to the chagrin of the fan base. You couldn't blame Kelly for choosing Rees—the Lake Forest, Ill., native is 14-4 as a starter, and boasts a wide disparity in experience against his competition.
Beneath Rees on the current depth chart is Andrew Hendrix, a former 4-Star prospect from Cincinnati, who has been a "bust" of sorts during his collegiate career. That leaves with Notre Dame with its final option—Malik Zaire, a true freshman who enrolled for the spring semester and participated in spring practices. There are two schools of thought surrounding the possibility of Zaire being crowned as the Irish's starter.
The first is that Zaire must redshirt as a freshman. The second belief is that because Zaire possesses such breathtaking talent, he would be a suitable replacement for Golson.
Notre Dame was a Top 15 team on paper in 2011, then played like it in 2012. Can the Irish manage a fourth straight year of steady improvement under Brian Kelly? And can they get enough breaks to reach the national title game again?
BCS odds: 60 to 1 ($100 wins $3,200)
Ranked 11th best odds (Alabama favored at 3 to 1)
The Golden Nugget in Las Vegas has released individual game spread lines for Notre Dame's games this season.
August 31st
Temple at Notre Dame (-24)
September 7th
Notre Dame (PICK EM) at Michigan
September 14th
Notre Dame (-14) at Purdue
September 21st
Michigan St. at Notre Dame (-6)
September 28th
Oklahoma at Notre Dame (-2)
October 5th
Arizona St. at Notre Dame (-4) [in Arlington,TX]
October 19th
USC at Notre Dame (-5)
October 26th
Notre Dame (-18) at Air Force
November 2nd
Navy at Notre Dame (-18)
November 9th
Notre Dame (-10.5) at Pittsburgh
November 23rd
BYU at Notre Dame (-11)
November 30th
Notre Dame (+5.5) at Stanford
JOHNNY DETROIT FRIDAY NIGHT SHOWDOWN! YOU COULD WIN $20,000! (Click Here)
-$25 of picks FREE! No Obligation - No Credit Card Required - Becoming a member is Fast and Free!
March Marco Contest is back. FREE to Enter!!! CLICK TO ENTER
Stay on top of the latest odds and line moves for MLB Season with our real-time odds from Las Vegas and offshore!
2013 Florida Gators Preview
What college football bettors need to know about betting the 2013 Florida Gators - a free pick from Pregame.com's Steve Fezzik, with Bryan Leonard & Vegas Runner.