The Notre Dame Fighting Irish, No. 20 in the College Football Playoff rankings, will try to extend their winning streak to five over the Navy Midshipmen on Saturday at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore.
Notre Dame (6-3) jumped back in the rankings after a decisive 35-14 win over previously undefeated Clemson. The Irish held the Tigers to 281 yards of offense and forced two turnovers. Notre Dame dominated all three facets of the game, scoring touchdowns on defense and on special teams with a blocked punt. Quarterback Drew Pyne threw a touchdown pass and rushed for another, but it was the running game that made the difference. Logan Diggs and Audric Estime each rushed for over 100 yards.
Navy (3-6) put up a good fight on the road against Cincinnati last Saturday but lost 20-10 to the Bearcats. Cincinnati held Navy to 176 rushing yards, well under the per-game average for the Midshipmen.
Caesars Sportsbook lists Notre Dame as a 15.5-point favorite with an over/under of 39.5
Let’s take a closer look at the odds and trends:Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. Navy Midshipmen
Time/TV: Noon ET Saturday, ABC
Point spread (from Caesars Sportsbook): Notre Dame -15.5
Money line: Notre Dame -800; Navy +575Over/under: 39.5Analysis: The line on this game opened at Notre Dame -17.5 and has steadily dropped. The weather calls for sunshine, but there could be some remnants from Hurricane/Tropical Storm Nicole.Navy has to rush for over 200 yards to have any chance of staying in this one. The Midshipmen are averaging about 243 yards per game on the ground, but Notre Dame is ranked 28th nationally against the run. Expect Navy to keep it interesting for a half, but Notre Dame is too big and strong on the line of scrimmage for Navy to keep up.Prediction: Notre Dame 34, Navy 13
