Pick details
| MATCHUP | Rice Owls | Notre Dame Fighting Irish |
|---|---|---|
| Team Records | 1-0 | 1-0 |
| Where | Notre Dame Stadium, Notre Dame, IN | |
| When | Saturday, September 12, 2026 | |
| Time | 03:30 PM EDT | |
| TV | NBC | |
Notre Dame Fighting Irish Preview
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have a 1-0 record this season and are coming off a 41-13 neutral-site victory over Wisconsin, where they outgained their opponents 350-284 yards and had 61 total plays. Notre Dame had 239 passing yards, 111 rushing yards, and 19/29 completed passes. They won the turnover battle by 0-2, were 3/9 on third down conversions, and had 4-41 penalties.
CJ Carr led Notre Dame with 19/29 passes, 239 passing yards. Aneyas Williams had a team-high 90 rushing yards, while Jordan Faison caught 4 passes for a team-high 81 receiving yards. Defensively, Drayk Bowen led the Fighting Irish with 9 total tackles, 4 of them solo, while Boubacar Traore had one sack.
Rice Owls Preview
The Rice Owls have a 1-0 record this season and are coming off a 31-3 home victory over Houston Christian, where they outgained their opponents 493-244 yards and had 80 total plays. Rice had 28 passing yards, 465 rushing yards, and 4/10 completed passes. They won the turnover battle by 0-1, were 11/17 on third down conversions, and had 3-30 penalties. FOX Sports
Gael Ochoa led Rice with 2/5 passes and 17 passing yards, while Tyvonn Byars had a team-high 104 rushing yards. Dean Lane caught 2 passes for a team-high 11 receiving yards. Defensively, Chibby Nwajuaku led the Owls with 5 total tackles, 2 of them solo, while also had two sacks.
Rice Owls @ Notre Dame Fighting Irish Betting Trends: Week 2
Why the Notre Dame Fighting Irish will win
- Notre Dame has won each of its last 16 games against non-AP-ranked teams.
- Rice has lost 14 of its last 15 road games in September.
- Notre Dame has covered the spread in seven of its last eight games against non-AP-ranked teams at Notre Dame Stadium.
- Rice has failed to cover the spread in three of its last four games.
- Notre Dame has won the first quarter in each of its last seven games as a top-10 AP-ranked team against a non-AP-ranked team.
- Notre Dame has won the first half in each of its last 11 games.
Why the Rice Owls will win
- Rice has won three of its last four games against non-conference opponents.
- Notre Dame has lost three of its last four September games as a top-10 AP-ranked team.
- Notre Dame has failed to cover the spread in each of its last four games as a top-5 AP-ranked team against a non-AP-ranked team at Notre Dame Stadium.
- Rice has covered the spread in each of its last three games in September.
- Rice has won the first half in three of its last four games in September.
Total Points Facts
- Each of Notre Dame’s last five games in September have gone OVER the total points line.
- Four of Rice’s last five games have gone UNDER the total points line.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish Player Prop Facts
- Heading into Week 2, Cooper Flanagan ranks T1st amongst qualified players for catch rate (100.0%) this season.
Rice Owls Player Prop Facts
- Heading into Week 2, Quinton Jackson ranks T1st amongst qualified players for catch rate (100.0%) this season.
Matchup/League Facts
- Notre Dame ranks T1st among FBS teams for Q4 opponent points per game this season (0.0).
- Notre Dame has won the first quarter in each of its last five games – longest active streak in the FBS.
- Rice ranks T1st among FBS teams for Q2 opponent points per game this season (0.0).
- Rice ranks T1st among FBS teams for Q3 opponent points per game this season (0.0).
Rice vs Notre Dame Prediction
In this Rice vs Notre Dame Prediction, Notre Dame is coming as -44.5 home favorites. Both teams are coming off comfortable wins in their season opener, winning by exactly 28 points each. Rice had a much easier competition in their first game and were 5-8 against the spread last season, losing and failing to cover the spread in three games on the road last season, losing by 31, 49 and 48 points. On the flip side, Notre Dame was dominating at home and won its last two home games last season by an average of 51 points. Take Notre Dame at home and lay the big number.
Nikos Lagouretos's Pick: Notre Dame -44.5
