Let’s dive into today’s Notre Dame vs Penn State AI Prediction. With AI sports betting, you can explore detailed trends and insights for this matchup and beyond. Below, we break down the key details of the Notre Dame vs Penn State game, including betting trends, performance analysis, and AI-backed predictions.

Preview of Notre Dame vs Penn State AI Prediction

• Date: Thursday January 9
• Time: 7:30 PM ET
• Location: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, FL
• Surface: Natural Grass
• How to Watch: ESPN

Notre Dame Preview

The good news for Notre Dame fans is running back Jeremiyah Love was deemed "...good to go" yesterday by head coach Marcus Freeman at a joint news conference. "

"Jeremiyah has had a good week of practice," Freeman said. "We have to be smart in terms of how much we're asking him to do in practice. We've got to get him ready for the game, but he's confident. Nobody feels 100 percent right now because we're in Week 15, but J-Love will be good to go."

The 12 - 2 Irish completely lost their running game last week against Georgia and had to lean on the talents of quarterback Riley Leonard who went 15 of 24 passing for 90 yards and one touchdown. Leonard also ran the ball 18 times for 80 yards, out pacing star running backs Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price who combined for only 56 yards rushing against Georgia.

Notre Dame is ranked 8th in total defense having given up 295.4 yards per game and their pass defense is ranked 5th giving up 167.4 yards per game and 12 passing touchdowns. Their Achilles heel could be their rush defense which is ranked 34th having given up 127.9 yards per game and 11 touchdowns. The absence of Rylie Mills will make an already difficult task harder as they try to stop a potent Lions offense.

Notre Dame is ranked 3rd in the ESPN College Football Power Index for 2024.

Penn State Preview

The Nittany Lions have a rough track record under head coach James Franklin having gone just 3 - 10 in games where both Penn State and their opponent was ranked in the top 10. And that will be exactly what the Lions face tonight.

"Obviously, you don’t get to this point in the season without being good in all three phases,” Penn State coach James Franklin said. “So far, got a ton of respect for what we’ve seen on film and what we’ve studied, and we’ve got a lot of work to do."

Penn State dominated Boise State last week as quarterback Drew Allar went 13 of 25 for 171 yards and three touchdowns, two of them to tight end Tyler Warren who had six receptions for 63 yards.

Running back Kaytron Allen had another impressive day going for 134 yards on 17 carries and Nicholas Singleton added 87 yards on 12 carries and a touchdown to help the Lions to the win.

Penn State, known as linebacker U, is ranked 6th in the nation in total defense giving up 288.9 yards per game and are 7th in pass defense allowing 100.9 yards per game and 8 touchdowns on the year.

Penn State is ranked 7th in the ESPN College Football Power Index for 2024.

How I use Models for Notre Dame vs Penn State AI Prediction

This is a tough one for me. I like both of these teams and know this is going to be a difficult game all around. Both teams match up well and this may come down to whether or not Penn State can stop the Irish passing game and or can Notre Dame stop the Lions run game.

I believe the Irish will win this game and do believe they will cover the -1 spread without an issue.

But what surprised me the most when I opened my Rithmm app was that my models universally liked this over. The money is heavily to the under by a 70% bet split and yet, depending on the book you use, the line has only moved down a point or less since Monday. That seems odd.

Both teams can put up points, the Irish averaged 38.85 this season while Penn State averaged 33.73, and there's no reason to think they won't do the same here. National spotlight, big stage, championship on the line. I personally expect a shootout and my Rithmm app seems to agree showing a final score of 47.3 points with a 52.3% win probability.

This should be a fun game and I'll be taking the total over 45.5.

Explore More AI Predictions Like Pistons vs Nets

Looking for more AI-powered predictions? Check out:

• AI Sports Betting insights for smarter decision-making.
• NCAAF AI Sports Predictions for advanced game insights.
• Computer NCAAF Picks for expert computer-driven predictions.

This AI-driven analysis is just a glimpse of what you can expect when using Rithmm. Whether you’re looking to refine your betting strategy or want to explore in-depth data trends, Rithmm's AI tools for sports betting has all you need. Don't miss out on making more informed decisions—download the Rithmm app today for full access to our AI football predictions, NCAAF Computer Picks, AI Player Props, and custom sports betting models.