Saturday, Oct. 26
12:05 p.m. Eastern, 9:05 a.m. Pacific
ABC
The Navy Midshipmen are unbeaten heading into the final Saturday of October. Army is also unbeaten at this stage of the season, creating the possibility that the Army-Navy Game could be a battle of unbeaten teams for a College Football Playoff spot. It would be the biggest Army-Navy Game in several decades. Could that dream live? It might if Navy can pull the upset against one-loss Notre Dame this weekend.
Notre Dame is very much in the playoff conversation, and with USC struggling this season, that end-of-season game in Los Angeles looks like a game the Fighting Irish should win. If Notre Dame gets by Navy, its playoff adds will increase. This game has playoff implications on both sides, which makes it one of the centerpiece games of Week 9 in the college football season.
One of the key talking points attached to this game is that it represents a step up in weight class for both teams. Notre Dame’s game against Louisville was not as difficult as it might have seemed to be before the season began, due to the reality that Louisville has regressed significantly this year compared to 2023. The Notre Dame win over Texas A&M looks better and better, but the loss to Northern Illinois looks worse and worse. Measuring Notre Dame against its competition is not easy to do, but Navy certainly represents an opponent which could give the Irish trouble if they don’t come prepared. Brian Newberry, taking over from Ken Niumatalolo at the Naval Academy, has done an outstanding job with the Midshipmen. Seeing Newberry take on Marcus Freeman is a chess match worth getting excited about. This is a football junkie’s dream game.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish-Navy Midshipmen Odds
Spread: Notre Dame -12.5 (-115), Navy +12.5 (-105)
Total: 51.5 (Over -104, Under -118)
Underdog moneyline: Navy +390
Hear T.J. and Gary go over Navy-Notre Dame on the latest “3 Dog Thursday Podcast” by clicking play below,
Does Navy Have a Legit Shot?
The betting situation attached to this game is that Navy is getting almost two full touchdowns at a neutral site. If we accept that Navy is a better team than Louisville, and if we realize that Notre Dame beat Louisville at home by only seven points – 31-24 – it seems logical to think that Navy can cover the spread. If the number was 9.5 points instead of 12.5, meaning that Notre Dame could cover in a game decided by 10 points, this might feel like a game worth passing on and not bothering to look at. However, with Navy getting 12.5 points, it’s a lot harder to resist taking Navy plus the points.
The wild card here is Brian Newberry. He has done an amazing job at Navy, as said above, but now he goes up against a top-tier opponent. He will be challenged at a level he hasn’t been challenged before, at least not with this 2024 Navy roster. We truly don’t know how Navy will react to the enormity of the moment and to the Irish team it will face on the other side of the line of scrimmage. If you are going to bet Navy in this game, you need to have a very strong and informed line of insight which tells you that Newberry will be able to win the X-and-O battle with Marcus Freeman. You need to be confident that Navy’s tactical approach will be the correct one versus the Notre Dame staff.