expert picks – Syndication Server

Experts predict that Notre Dame will roll over Virginia

The experts expect Notre Dame to have an easy one this weekend.

No. 8 Notre Dame should roll over the Virginia Cavaliers on Saturday.

So say the experts.

Let’s start with The Athletic’s Pete Sampson, who has Notre Dame winning 35-14.

“After two-plus seasons of searching, it feels like Freeman has found his groove on the sidelines. Mentions of his inexperience are down. Consistent performances are up. That reliability should carry through the regular-season home finale,” he writes. “It’s hard to see the Cavaliers finding much success against one of the nation’s best defenses. It’s also hard to see Virginia bottling up Leonard. It all means the Irish will pull away in the second half, continuing their push toward the Playoff.”

Notre Dame moves up two spots in the AP Top 25 poll after beating Florida State 52-3. — Notre Dame wide receiver Jayden Harrison (2) celebrates making a catch during a NCAA college football game against Florida State at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024, in South Bend.

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NFL Week 11 picks: See who experts are taking in Commanders vs. Eagles today

It’s overwhelming: The experts believe the Eagles get it done against the Commanders.

It’s not often you get the best NFL game of the week on Thursday night. That’s what we have in Week 11 when the Philadelphia Eagles (7-2) host the Washington Commanders in a good, old-fashioned NFC East battle.

The Commanders were in first place for much of the season until last week’s 28-27 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Meanwhile, the Eagles won their fifth in a row, dominating the wounded Dallas Cowboys on the road.

Washington and Philadelphia are 2-0 in NFC East play, and this is their first meeting in 2024. Both teams have elite offenses, while the Eagles have a stout defense. The Commanders’ defense is improving under first-year head coach Dan Quinn, but they have some holes, particularly at cornerback.

By virtue of being at home, the Eagles are a 3.5-point favorite over Washington.

The experts have weighed in, too, and they side with the oddsmakers. According to NFL Pickwatch, 82% of the picks are in and favor Philadelphia to beat Washington. Two years ago, 99% of the experts picked the then-unbeaten Eagles over the Commanders on Monday Night Football, and we see how that one turned out.

NFL Week 10 picks: See who experts are taking in Commanders vs. Steelers today

The experts weigh in on Sunday’s game between the Commanders and Steelers.

The Washington Commanders (7-2) host the Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2) on Sunday from Northwest Stadium in arguably the game of the weekend.

The Commanders and Steelers come into Week 10 riding high on three-game winning streaks. However, Pittsburgh has an advantage, coming off a bye and heading into this game healthy.

Meanwhile, the NFC East-leading Commanders are banged up. Running back Brian Robinson Jr., offensive tackle Cornelius Lucas, cornerback Marshon Lattimore and kicker Austin Seibert are out. Additionally, long snapper Tyler Ott and right tackle Andrew Wylie are questionable. All indications are Ott and Wylie will play.

Washington is a 2.5-point favorite over Pittsburgh, but Steelers coach Mike Tomlin has a 13-4 record off bye weeks.

So, who has the advantage?

According to NFL Pickwatch, the experts have weighed in, with 58% of the picks coming for the Commanders.

Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels will have his hands full against a Pittsburgh defense led by T.J. Watt, Patrick Queen and Cameron Heyward. Will Daniels pull off more magic to lead the Commanders to their fourth straight win?

Both teams run the ball well, and whichever team runs the ball the best on Sunday will likely emerge as the winner.

Experts pick Notre Dame versus Florida State

The experts expect Notre Dame to cruise against Florida State.

No. 10 Notre Dame hosts Florida State in a game that was circled on many calendars before the season began.

Now, however, the Seminoles are struggling at 1-8 and the Fighting Irish are playing good football but also in a position that likely requires them to win out to make the 12-team College Football Playoff.

So, with that in mind, let’s see what the experts think about who will win.

Let’s start with The Athletic. Pete Sampson is feeling pretty good about an Irish win and has them rolling 42-7, especially given quarterback [autotag] Riley Leonard’s[/autotag] improvement.

He writes, in part: “When Leonard plays well as a dual threat quarterback and not just a runner, Notre Dame becomes a problem for even locked-in teams. And Florida State won’t be locked in on Saturday night, as its season lurches toward its forgettable conclusion.”

Oct 26, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Riley Leonard (13) fights off would-be tackler Navy Midshipmen cornerback Andrew Duhart (13) during the second half at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

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NFL Week 9 picks: See who experts are taking in Commanders vs. Giants today

The experts weigh in on Sunday’s game between the Commanders and Giants.

The Washington Commanders (6-2) enter Sunday’s showdown against NFC East rival the New York Giants (2-6) as four-point favorites. When you first glance at the records of each team, you may think that the spread appears to be a bit low.

However, this is a divisional matchup and one that the Giants have had the upper hand for the past several years. The two longtime foes met back in Week 2, with the Commanders barely defeating the Giants, 21-18, on the strength of seven Austin Seibert field goals.

Much has changed since Week 2. Washington is one of the NFL’s hottest teams, led by rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels. Meanwhile, the Giants have had another difficult start to the season.

So, does New York quarterback Daniel Jones continue his streak of playing well vs. Washington? Or does Daniels begin a new streak and go 2-0 vs. the Giants to start his career?

We made our picks for Sunday’s NFC East battle, and we believe the Commanders prevail. However, what do the experts think?

According to NFL Pickwatch, 93% of the experts believe Washington will defeat New York.

The Giants are a reasonable upset pick for Week 9, but the experts strongly favor the NFC East leaders at MetLife Stadium.

NFL Week 8 picks: See who experts are taking in Commanders vs. Bears today

Who are the experts taking in Sunday’s game between the Commanders and Bears?

Long before we knew today’s game between the Washington Commanders (5-2) and Chicago Bears (4-2) would feature two good teams in a potential playoff preview, there was tremendous anticipation for this matchup.

On one side, you have the No. 1 overall pick for the Bears, QB Caleb Williams, facing off against the No. 2 overall pick, QB Jayden Daniels of the Commanders.

The most significant question heading into this afternoon’s matchup is the health of Daniels. Will he play? Daniels suffered a rib injury in last week’s win over Carolina and was listed as questionable on Friday’s final injury report. However, all signs point to Daniels playing.

With Daniels’ health in question all week, the Bears opened as favorites. However, once Adam Schefter of ESPN reported Daniels was likely to play late Saturday night, those odds shifted, with Chicago only the slight favorite.

So, what do the experts think?

According to NFL Pickwatch, 63% of the experts are picking the Bears to win. However, those numbers could be skewed due to the uncertainty surrounding Daniels.

The Commanders and Bears are scheduled for a 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff.

Experts Pick Notre Dame, Navy

The experts pick Notre Dame against Navy.

No. 12 Notre Dame is taking on No. 24 Navy at MetLife Stadium on Saturday, and the experts have thoughts.

Notre Dame will be challenged by a Navy team that is playing well on both sides of the ball, and the Fighting Irish can’t afford to lose. That said, the undefeated Midshipmen haven’t faced a true challenge, and Notre Dame has a higher level of talent than any team Navy has faced so far.

So with that in mind, CBS Sports’ Will Backus thinks that at the very least, Navy will cover the spread.

“The Midshipmen are for real. The offense steals a lot of the headlines, but their defense has also held each of their last three opponents under 10 points. Despite all the injuries, things seem to be coming together for Notre Dame on both sides of the ball. The betting-favorite Irish are a smart pick to win, but this one’s going to be a lot closer than Vegas seems to think. Pick: Navy +12.5,” he writes.

Oct 19, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Jeremiyah Love (4) runs the ball against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the fourth quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images

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NFL Week 7 picks: Almost all of the experts favor the Commanders

Almost all of the experts believe the Commanders will defeat the Panthers.

The Washington Commanders (4-2) look to get to their winning ways on Sunday as the Carolina Panthers (1-5) come to town. Washington suffered its second loss last week, falling 30-23 to the Ravens, snapping its four-game winning streak.

Now, the Commanders face arguably the NFL’s worst team. In addition to Washington being the better team, the Panthers will be without several players, and top wide receiver Diontae Johnson is questionable.

The Commanders opened as 7.5-point favorites over the Panthers, and that line has increased to 9.5 points. We discussed five keys to a Washington victory.

While the betting lines love the Commanders in a potential blowout, what do the experts think? According to NFL Pickwatch, 99% of the predictors believe Washington will defeat Carolina. If you want to know how times have changed, that is proof. In recent years, the Commanders have been on the other hand of those types of odds. Earlier this year, well over 90% of the experts picked the Bengals over Washington, and we know how that turned out.

So, what we’re telling you is that this is the NFL. There are no easy games. The Commanders need a fast start to put the Panthers away early.

Experts expect easy Notre Dame win against Georgia Tech in Atlanta

Once again, the experts are on the side of the Irish.

Notre Dame should win in Atlanta against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

So say the experts.

Your author thinks it will be closer than the experts do, but I, too, expect the Notre Dame Fighting Irish to walk away as winners.

Maybe it’s because Georgia Tech is frisky, or maybe it’s the Notre Dame injuries, but I have worries. On the other hand, the Irish do have more talent than Georgia Tech.

So the Irish should win. Still, it could be a dogfight in the Peach State.

Notre Dame’s playoff hopes do hinge on a victory, so there’s that.

Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love (4) runs the ball down the sideline on his way to score a touchdown during a NCAA college football game between Notre Dame and Stanford at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in South Bend.

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Experts picking a bounceback win for Steelers over Raiders

Most NFL experts are picking the Steelers over the Raideres.

This week the 3-2 Pittsburgh Steelers face off against the 2-3 Las Vegas Raiders with both teams coming off of a tough loss. The Raiders have made a quarterback change, going with Aidan O’Connell while the Steelers are sticking with Justin Fields for another week.

NFL experts and pundits seem to feel that Fields gives the Steelers a better chance than the Raiders have with O’Connell. Both teams are missing key players including multiple pass rushers for the Steelers and Las Vegas’ top receiver.

We turn to our friends at NFL Pick Watch to give us the numbers for online experts. They aggregate picks from all over the internet and put the results all in one place.

As of Friday afternoon nearly all expert picks are in and the Steelers hold an edge of 88 percent to just 12 percent calling for the upset by the Raiders.

Both teams need this win to stay relevant in their respective divisions.

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