The 90th meeting between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Navy Midshipmen will be in beautiful San Diego this Saturday. Notre Dame has dominated the all-time series and holds a 75-13-1 record over Navy. However, the Midshipmen have been far more competitive with the Irish over the last decade than at any point since Roger Staubach last lined up under center for Navy. They have won four of the last contests between these two teams and won the last neutral site contest in Jacksonville in 2016.
This contest in Week 9 will go down Saturday, October 27, 2018 at 8 p.m. ET at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California.
College Football Odds at BookMaker.eu
Navy +22.5
Notre Dame -22.5
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Odds Analysis
Early action has been on the Irish in this one. Notre Dame was initially a 21.5-point favorite per the CFB betting odds, and that line has moved up by a point. That might be a little stunning considering how close the games between these two schools have been over the last 10 years, but Navy has been bad this season. The Midshipmen have lost four straight games, and the triple option has not worked as well as it has in the past.
Matchup to Watch
The Midshipmen have had major issues with the offense this year. They haven’t found a quarterback they can rely on in every situation yet, and they have been platooning three players at the position depending on game situation.
Garret Lewis and Malcolm Perry have been the two main options, and they each have different strengths. Perry has been a great runner and pitch man, but he is a non-factor in the passing game. He is completing less than 35 percent of his passes on the year, and that has led to opposing defenses crowding their cornerbacks closer to the line to pinch the outside angles for the run. Lewis has been a competent passer, but he isn’t a dynamic runner and doesn’t always make the right decision. Zach Abey comes in as the goal line quarterback.
Notre Dame’s defense has been fantastic this year. The Irish are ranked fifth in the nation in terms of S&P+, and they have been very stout against the run all season long. Navy is going to have a hard time running on this unit.
Player to Watch
Ian Book has transformed Notre Dame’s offense. The Irish attack was constantly sputtering under Brandon Wimbush, but it has taken off under Book. He has greatly improved as a passer, and he is a decent runner too. The former has been the big boost though as weapons such as tight end Alize Mack have been unleashed.
Book burst onto the scene by thrashing a bad Wake Forest team in late September, but he followed that up with a great performance in a win over Stanford. That game showed off his skillset, and Book took the momentum from that game on the road into Blacksburg. He had another solid outing in a Notre Dame win over Virginia Tech, but he had some turnover problems in the narrow victory over Pittsburgh. His two interceptions nearly came back to bite the team in a narrow win.
Navy has not been good at stopping opposing quarterbacks through the air, so Book could have a very nice day. Houston threw for 413 yards against the Midshipmen secondary last week.
Live Betting Preview
Keep an eye on time of possession in this one. Navy can wear you down if they hold the ball for long stretches, so dig past the scoreline when watching this game. If Notre Dame scores quickly, and Navy responds with long, prodding drives, go ahead and jump on Navy early since that is likely to mean a cover for the Midshipmen.
College Football Odds: Notre Dame 34, Navy 17
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