Notre Dame Navy Betting – Classic Intersectional Rivalry Takes Place On Neutral Field

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish host Navy in odd-numbered years. In even-numbered years, the teams play at a neutral site. This year, the game takes place in New Jersey’s Meadowlands.

NCAA football betting: Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. Navy Midshipmen

Online Betting Odds: Notre Dame -7

Why To Bet On Notre Dame

The Fighting Irish played Western Michigan last week. The 44-20 win really wasn't noteworthy, and it shouldn't be considered as such. However, the important thing to note for Notre Dame is that playing a Mid-American Conference team (and not a very good one at that) serves as something of a break from the usual grind of a college football season. Notre Dame didn't play a punishing Big Ten team or an average Big East team with some degree of muscularity in the trenches. The Irish didn't get pounded and they didn't get overly bruised against Western Michigan. Moreover, the expected blowout in a cupcake game removed drama from a team that had regularly been playing close games throughout 2010. Notre Dame lost close games to the Michigan Wolverines and the Michigan State Spartans while winning hard-fought contests against the Purdue Boilermakers and the Stanford Cardinal. Only an 18-point win at the Boston College Eagles and a 23-point loss to Stanford involved minimal drama. Therefore, the Western Michigan game should have Notre Dame both physically and mentally fresh against Navy. Notre Dame should be in a proper frame of mind, and the Irish should have the horses to play this game at full speed, without any distractions.

Why To Bet On Navy

The Navy Midshipmen uncharacteristically made the wrong mistakes at the wrong times in a disappointing 14-6 loss at Air Force on Oct. 2. The program's first loss in a Commander-In-Chief’s Trophy game since 2002 created doubts throughout the program. The reputation of the Navy program was questioned, because the Midshipmen have usually been so good at winning close games over the past seven seasons. The aura of resourcefulness Navy had established under former coach Paul Johnson and current boss Ken Niumatalolo was beginning to fade away. The first four games of 2010 led many people to wonder if Navy was going to fall off the map.

Those doubts and questions are gone now. Revived a little bit by a last-minute win over the Wake Forest Demon Deacons on Oct. 9, Navy then came from 14 points down at halftime to topple a bowl-bound Southern Methodist team this past Saturday, 28-21. This is a team that has responded to adversity by regaining the winning instinct of past seasons. Navy should be overflowing with confidence and ready to beat Notre Dame yet again. The Midshipmen had lost 43 straight games to the Irish from 1964 through 2006, but they've won two of the last three games in the series. With Notre Dame undergoing a lot of transitions in the first year of the Brian Kelly era, Navy has more experience at quarterback, with Ricky Dobbs owning more gameday snaps than Irish quarterback Dayne Crist. If Dobbs executes Navy's triple-option offense with distinction, Notre Dame will have a tough time staying with the Midshipmen.

How The Game Will Play Out

Notre Dame is not a distinguished team, as the Fighting Irish try to rebuild themselves under their new head coach. Navy, meanwhile, has to feel mentally liberated after pulling off two straight comeback victories. Navy should definitely cover the number in this game, but the verdict here is that the Midshipmen will also win the game outright in the final minutes.