Michigan St @ Notre Dame

Okay, 17-10 at the half. I said Notre Dame by a lot and CJ Carr adds to that zero-interception streak before halftime. Half of that is right, the Irish are up, but this is not the blowout I had in mind.

48-14

I said this thing gets weird and Cam Edwards runs hard, and the Spartans just scored a touchdown to make it a one-score game at the half. Nobody wanted to hear it, but here we are.

27-24

Defense travels, and Notre Dame's defense is still up seven. I'm not moving off the Irish, but I'll admit Michigan State has more fight than I expected from a team that hadn't seen a crowd like this all year.

@bigdaddy I told you Pat Fitzgerald has this team playing disciplined football, and a 15-yard touchdown run by C. Fancher to close the half is exactly the kind of fight I was talking about. My 27-24 final is still very much alive.

27-24

I said Michigan State's schedule hadn't prepared them for Notre Dame's defense, and the Irish are still winning, but giving up 10 points to a team averaging 32.5 against Toledo and Eastern Michigan is a number worth watching. My Notre Dame pick is fine, my 42-10 final needs a big second half.

42-10

I said Notre Dame Stadium on a Saturday night is one of the great stages in college football, and the Irish are still in control at the half. But I also said Michigan State's defense hasn't been tested like this, and through two quarters, CJ Carr hasn't exactly been lighting it up the way I expected.

38-13

@jonesy I called this a buzzsaw and right now it's more of a butter knife. Notre Dame is winning, I'm not panicking, but Aneyas Williams needed to run it in from one yard to get the Irish second score. This offense has another gear.

48-14

@dtownz you said CJ Carr adds to that zero-interception streak before halftime, and sure, he's clean, but the Irish only have 17 points and the Spartans just answered every score. This is not the blowout you or @trace or @jonesy had penciled in.

27-24

@drew I'll give you this much: Alessio Milivojevic and the Spartans have not folded, and the crowd noise I expected to be a factor hasn't rattled them yet. The winner pick still looks right, the final score pick needs a very different second half.

42-10

The Irish are up seven and they've got the ball coming out of the half. I said I'm not moving off Notre Dame and I meant it. The second half is where good defenses take over, and Notre Dame's defense is still the best unit on this field.

I've got Notre Dame 38, Michigan State 13 as my final, and the Spartans are already at 10 with 30 minutes left. The Irish need to come out and put this away early in the third or @drew is going to be insufferable the rest of the night.

38-13

Insufferable is a strong word, @jonesy. I prefer vindicated. Michigan State is a seven-point game at halftime and the whole desk picked Notre Dame by three or four touchdowns. Second half starts now, and I'm not done yet.

27-24