The 94th meeting between Navy and Notre Dame will feature something the previous 93 did not—time apart from each other. The Midshipmen and Fighting Irish had met for 93 years in a row before the COVID pandemic shuffled schedules last season and canceled their game.
Now, Navy, who is 2-6 on the year, will travel to No. 8 Notre Dame for one of its biggest challenges of the season. Without further ado, let’s take a look into the college football odds and how you should be wagering over at the top-rated sportsbooks.
Navy Midshipmen vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Saturday, November 06, 2021 – 03:30 PM EDT at Notre Dame Stadium
The 94th meeting between Navy and Notre Dame will feature something that the previous 93 di not—time away from each other. The Midshipmen and Fighting Irish had one of the longest rivalries in the nation, having played each other for 93 straight seasons before last year.
Navy and Notre Dame were scheduled to open last season in Dublin, but the COVID pandemic first moved it stateside, to Annapolis, then ultimately canceled it. The two teams will now start another streak as they meet again in South Bend on Saturday. Navy, who is 2-6 on the year, will face one of its biggest challenges of the season against the No. 8 Irish.
Tough Schedule, Tough Matchup
The Midshipmen’s record is misleading because Navy has played the third-toughest schedule in football, based on last year’s win-loss record for its opponents. Based on this year’s record, Navy’s opponents represent the eighth-toughest slate in the country. That includes a seven-point loss to Cincinnati, currently ranked No. 2 in the country. That was closer than Notre Dame’s loss to the Bearcats, an 11-point loss in South Bend.
Notre Dame will be the fourth-ranked opponent Navy has faced and the second top-10 foe in the last three weeks. Navy is always a tough matchup, based on its run-oriented offense. This year is no different. The Middies are rushing for 222.5 yards per game, the 14th best in the nation. That also allows Navy to control the ball and the clock. The Midshipmen are No. 5 in the country in time of possession, keeping the ball an average of 10 minutes longer than their opponents.
The Middies are capable of winning without completing a pass—as they did last week against Tulsa—but they also can complete the long ball after lulling a defense to sleep on the ground game. Navy is averaging 14.3 yards per completion, which is 15th in the country.
Running Wild as Well
While the Irish have a more balanced offense, Notre Dame has also been running the ball well. Kyren Williams is one of the top running backs in the nation. He had 199 yards in a win over North Carolina last week, including a 91-yard touchdown run—the fifth-longest in Irish football history. The Irish produced 293 rushing yards against the Tar Heels.
“Kyren’s playing really well,” coach Brian Kelly said. “Maybe he was trying to do a little bit too much earlier in the year, but he’s really settled in nicely, seeing things really well and then making things happen.”
Quarterback Jack Coan is also playing his best football of the season. He went 15-of-24 passing against UNC last week and also ran the ball well. After struggling with protection early in the year, his sack rate has dropped significantly in recent games, and he went down just once in last week’s game.
The Irish defense struggled last week, giving up 34 points to North Carolina and getting lit up by the Tar Heels’ passing game. Notre Dame was playing without its top defensive player in safety Kyle Hamilton, and the Irish will have to face Navy without Hamilton as well.
“He’s made really good progress,” Kelly said of Hamilton’s return from a knee injury. “We expect that progress to continue through this week. Then he’ll be evaluated next week as to whether he is in a position to return.”
The Pick
For your NCAAF picks consider that it would be asking quite a lot to expect Navy to pull the upset over the Irish. Since Kelly has taken over as Notre Dame coach, the Irish have dominated the series. Still, the Notre Dame defense has shown leaks recently, and Navy should be able to put together a few long drives to keep the game closer than the large point spread.
NCAAF Pick: Navy +20.5 (-107) with BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.
