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Notre Dame will visit Purdue Saturday as a -7.5 road favorite. That number dropped off the -11 following the Irish suffering an upset at the hands of unranked Northern Illinois last week. The Huskies would go on to claim their first nonconference victory against a ranked opponent since a 19-16 upset of No. 21 Alabama in 2003.
Sagarin has the number for this game at 11.1, indicating a nearly 4-point underlay.
What's at Stake?
Notre Dame already has one inexplicable loss. Another would likely eliminate the Fighting Irish from playoff contention because of a softer-than-usual schedule. That means this week, like every remaining game this season, becomes a must-win for the Irish. Purdue is coming off a bye week after a season-opening rout of Indiana State. A win Saturday would give the Boilermakers a huge boost with just the second 2-0 start since 2007.
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Players to Watch
Notre Dame: QB Riley Leonard. After a solid debut at Texas A&M, the former Duke star struggled in his home opener — going 20 of 32 with 163 yards and two interceptions and a rating of 25.8. When they needed him most, in the final minute, all Leonard could do was get the Irish to the cusp of field goal range. He needs to play much better.
Purdue: S Dillon Thieneman. The All-American defender had only two tackles in limited action in Week 1, but he’s likely to be much busier this weekend. For many college football fans, this may be their first real chance to see the play-making safety who flies around the field. It won’t be their last chance, with more ranked games on the schedule.
The Irish have won eight straight in this series with Purdue’s last win coming in 2007.
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