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The Navy Midshipmen are set to face the Notre Dame Fighting Irish this weekend. With that said, it’s a good time to check out our college football odds series, which includes our Navy-Notre Dame prediction, odds, and pick we have laid out below.
Here’s how the bookmakers have set the Navy-Notre Dame odds:
College Football odds: Navy-Notre Dame Odds
Navy: +21 (-110)
Notre Dame: -21 (-110)
Over: 47.5 (-110)
Under: 47.5 (-110)
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Why Navy Could Cover the Spread
The Navy Midshipmen got a much-needed victory last week at Tulsa. Navy beat Tulsa 20-17 after losing three straight games. The Midshipmen dominated the time of possession (37:18) and forced two interceptions in the victory without completing a pass. They have always dominated the time of possession because of their rushing attack every year. Navy ranks 3rd in the nation in rush play percentage (83.48%) and 3rd in rushes per game (60.6). They have multiple rushers, six of which have over 160 rushing yards on the season. The lead back is Isaac Ruoss, who has 437 rushing yards on 111 carries and two touchdowns.
Defensively, Navy gives up 30 points per game to opponents on 347.9 yards. They held Tulsa last week to just 17 points and Cincinnati to 27 points the game before. Diego Fagot leads the Midshipmen with 71 total tackles, while Clay Cromwell has a team-high 2.5 sacks this season. Navy is 5-1 against the spread in their last six games overall.
Why Notre Dame Could Cover the Spread
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are playing at a high level this year with a 7-1 record, ranking 10th in the nation. They are coming off a high-scoring affair against UNC in which Notre Dame won 44-34, increasing their home record to 4-1. The offense is averaging 32.6 points per game and 388.5 yards per game. At home, the Fighting Irish are averaging 35 points. Quarterback Jack Coan has thrown for 1,610 yards, 12 touchdowns while running back Kyren Williams leads the Irish with 707 rushing yards and seven touchdowns. During the wins against USC and UNC, Williams rushed for 138 and 199 yards, respectively, as neither team has an answer for him. This weekend he takes on a Navy defense that will struggle against him as well.
On the defensive side of the ball, Notre Dame should be able to handle Navy's rushing attack. The Fighting Irish rank 16th in the nation in opponent rush play percentage (46.55%), and opponents rush for only 4.0 yards on average against them. They are yielding 24.5 points per game to opponents this season. Notre Dame is 5-1 against the spread in their last six games overall, while Navy is 0-5 against the spread in their last five non-conference games.
Final Navy-Notre Dame Prediction & Pick
It will be interesting to see if Navy passes the ball in this game, especially if they get down early against Notre Dame. Last week, Navy won without completing a pass, which is quite impressive because of how much time they chewed off the clock. If Notre Dame struggles to score touchdowns, then Navy can hang around and cover this large spread. In fact, the only time the Irish were favored by double-digits this season, they nearly lost outright to Toledo. Navy has been in some games against some pretty solid competition in the AAC, and I think that getting three touchdowns seems like a greater chance for them to cover. Take the points with the Midshipmen, buy the 1/2 on the hook just to be safe.
Final Navy-Notre Dame Pick: Navy +21
