Your Picks on Rice vs Notre Dame

Two unbeaten teams meet in South Bend

Rice visits No. 3 Notre Dame at Notre Dame Stadium on September 12 in the 2026 college football season. Both teams enter 1-0: the Owls beat Houston Christian 31-3, while the Fighting Irish defeated Wisconsin 41-13.

Notre Dame took control of its opener with a 28-3 scoring advantage after halftime. CJ Carr completed 19 of 29 passes for 239 yards, distributing completions among nine receivers. Aneyas Williams added 90 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

The ground game supplies the central question

Rice generated 493 total yards against Houston Christian, including 458 on the ground, its highest rushing output since 2004. That gives the Owls a productive opening performance to build on, but it does not establish how effectively they will move the ball against Notre Dame.

The Irish limited Wisconsin to 1.4 yards per rush in the second half. That is an encouraging defensive result, though a single half against Wisconsin cannot establish what Rice will gain or score.

Notre Dame leads the series 5-0. Rice has also dropped its last five games against ranked opponents and last faced a top-five team at Baylor in 2015. Those historical results provide context, without establishing a likely margin for this meeting.

Betting decision: Pass

The spread lists Notre Dame -44.5 (-110) and Rice +44.5 (-110). An Irish victory alone would not justify laying that number: Notre Dame must win by at least 45 points to cover. Neither team's opener provides a dependable basis for projecting that margin.

Over 55 (-110) and under 55 (-110) present a similar uncertainty. Rice's rushing yardage does not establish its scoring contribution here, and Notre Dame's 41-point opener does not settle the total.

The moneylines are Rice +3,015 and Notre Dame -5,276. The prices identify Notre Dame as the heavy favorite, but the available results do not establish value on either side. Pass on the spread, total and moneyline, with no winner or score projection.