Notre Dame Chomping At The Bit to Face Navy
By Charles Jay
Notre Dame got oh so close to taking a very firm step toward a spot in the four-team college football playoff, but they were taken down by an official’s call against Florida State. Now they have had a bye week to regroup, and they are prepared to face the Midshipmen of Navy in college football betting action that begins at 8 PM ET on Saturday from a neutral site – FedEx Field in Landover, MD.
It can be argued that Notre Dame wanted to get right back on the field, but having the week off guards against a letdown situation. However, they have a game on tap next weekend against nationally -ranked Arizona State. Meanwhile, Navy was able to welcome back its starting quarterback last weekend as Keenan Reynolds gained 251 yards, a career-high against San Jose State.
In the college football betting odds on this game as they have been established at VietBet, Notre Dame is favored by double-digits:
Notre Dame Fighting Irish -14
Navy Midshipmen +14
Over 55.5 points -110
Under 55.5 points -110
Reynolds is probably one of the better quarterbacks Navy is ever had in terms of running the football. Obviously when you can run for 251 yards you are in some rarefied air. Notre Dame is no stranger to dealing with the option on the part of the Middies. In fact, they faced Navy every year, and they also heading into this game with some very good numbers on defense.
In fact, college football bettors may have been a bit surprised to see that the Irish were able to hold powerful Florida State and their Heisman Trophy winner, Jameis Winston, to just 323 total yards. And as VietBet customers observed, they were turned back on a pass interference penalty on a play that would have scored the winning touchdown. The call was based on a “pick” play that seemed to be the right decision on the part of the officials, but was a bitter pill for coach Brian Kelly to swallow nonetheless.
Notre Dame is 12th in the country when it comes to defending the run, statistically speaking, but they did have a hard time with Navy in last year’s meeting, giving up 331 rushing yards in the process of escaping with a 38-34 victory.
But as college football bettors are aware, Notre Dame played that game without quarterback Everett Golson, who was sitting out a one-year suspension for academic violations. Golson has really improved himself as a passer this season, as his ratio of 19 touchdowns to six interceptions is outstanding. VietBet patrons should note that Navy has recorded only one sack this season against a Division I foe.
However, technical trends don’t exactly favor Notre Dame in this one. They have not been a profitable double-digit favorite, covering just three of the last 12 in that situation. The crowd will bring an interesting dynamic as well; even though this game is being played much closer to Navy’s campus (which is in Annapolis), Notre Dame not only travels well but has a national following, so they will have plenty of support.
And speaking of support, you can’t beat the customer support you get at VietBet, where they take care of you 24 hours a day. If you sign up for an account, you also get a great free play bonus and the opportunity for reduced juice on college football betting. So what are you waiting for?
