It's time to continue our College Basketball odds series with a Notre Dame-Syracuse prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Notre Dame-Syracuse.

There is a lot of college basketball to watch on Saturday. This game between Notre Dame and Syracuse will not receive major national attention for plenty of obvious reasons. The ACC has had a miserable season in college basketball, with no real relief in sight except for the possibility that North Carolina might finally be picking up steam midway through January. If the Tar Heels continue to win — they have strung together several victories in a row — they might get into the field and give the ACC a team that is dangerous in March. Other than UNC and also Louisville, there just aren't many non-Duke teams which look likely to make the Big Dance. Clemson is one, and Pittsburgh might be the other. That's it. There are no other ACC teams which seem likely to get into the field of 68. The ACC getting just five teams into March Madness, all while the SEC is likely to get at least 11 teams in — maybe 12 — would rate as a huge disappointment for a conference which prides itself on its basketball excellence. The ACC is in the midst of a down cycle, with Virginia suffering in the post-Tony Bennett era and Miami collapsing just two seasons after its Final Four run. Florida State is fighting an uphill battle to get into the NCAA Tournament. The odds are not in the Seminoles' favor. Boston College has cratered. Georgia Tech is limping along. Stanford and Cal have not done well in Year 1. Maybe SMU can make a run, but the Mustangs' overall profile doesn't look great. With the ACC limping along in men's basketball, a Notre Dame-Syracuse game on a mid-January Saturday just won't get a lot of attention.

What adds to the sense of depression — or perhaps merely disinterest — surrounding this game is that Syracuse coach Adrian Autry appears to be a bad hire. This is not how the post-Jim Boeheim years were supposed to go in Syracuse. Nailing the hire of the successor to Boeheim was really important, and the Orange seem to have whiffed. Syracuse isn't merely losing; the Orange are getting boatraced by other ACC opponents. Louisville crushing the Orange a few days ago underscored how well the Cardinals adjusted in hiring Pat Kelsey to replace the disastrous Kenny Payne. Syracuse might have to adjust and hire someone else to replace Autry, because the SU ship seems to be sinking instead of staying afloat.

Notre Dame: -3.5 (-102)

Moneyline: -154

Syracuse: +3.5 (-120)

Moneyline: +128

Over: 147.5 (-110)

Under: 147.5 (-110)

Time: 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT

TV: ACC Network

Micah Shrewsberry of Notre Dame is a far, far better coach than Adrian Autry. Notre Dame should be able to find a game plan and a line of attack which will be successful against a Syracuse side which has been largely toothless this season. It's less about boosting Notre Dame, far more about fading Syracuse in a choice between these two teams.

Syracuse can't really play much worse than it has in recent weeks. It is bound to be better in this game at home. Players are going to play with pride, and that will fuel a winning performance from the Orange.

Our lean is clearly to Notre Dame, but we don't trust the Fighting Irish on the road. Pass.