College football odds, predictions, bets Week 9

Notre Dame and Navy have played 94 times since 1927.

This rivalry has always had its fruits, but the risks It hasn’t been this high since 1978 When the undefeated Midshipmen travel to Cleveland to face the 15th-seeded Fighting Irish.

Both programs have a legitimate chance this time College Football Playoffbut it will need to start with a win at MetLife Stadium on Saturday.

This isn’t your grandfather’s Navy raid.

Centers are averaging over 44 points per game and have cracked the code when it comes to creating big plays.

Navy torched defenses on plays of 40 yards or longer 13 times through six games alone.

There are two explanations for this aggressive flash. The first is quarterback play.

Blake Horvath is piloting the offense to greatness, ranking third in QBR while leading the nation in yards per pass (12.3).

The second element that contributed to Navy’s explosiveness was the addition of Drew Cronic to the coaching staff.

The former Mercer head coach revamped Navy’s offense by adding Wing T elements to the traditional three-option.

The result was players going crazy on opposing defenses at the second and third levels.

If you cherry-pick parts of his film, you’ll see that Navy’s passing attack has all the modern bells and whistles we’ve come to expect from a Chip Kelly or Steve Sarkisian offense.

You’ll find a heavy dose of shotgun looks, run-pass options, screen passes to nearly every position on the field, naked bootlegs, and a complex route tree for runners out of the backfield.

Cronic’s philosophy revolves around the idea of ​​split-second movement, misdirection and sleight of hand to force the defense to maintain the width of the field.

As a result, defenses play slower. As coaches like to say, paralysis by analysis.

Notre Dame will have to prepare for this football test, and without even a bye week, Navy will likely continue to initiate big plays in the air and on the ground.

If you examine Notre Dame’s defensive profile, you’ll find the Irish tackle with several running concepts squarely in Navy’s wheelhouse.

Mids excel at running powers and counters, and Notre Dame barely ranks in the top 100 at defending them.

And if the Irish become more committed to stopping the run by loading the box, that’s when Eli Heidenreich and Navy’s other pass catchers will do the damage.

Before last week, Heidenreich had broken up a long play of at least 39 yards in every game this season.

The former high school wide receiver has become a Swiss Army Knife for the Midshipmen and should be able to pop at least one against the Irish on Saturday afternoon.

The reason this spread is so generous starts and ends with planning.

Navy had a blast with the likes of Bucknell, Temple and UAB before winning its first semester with a 56-44 shootout win over Memphis.

Betting on College Football?

The perception is that Notre Dame’s path is much more difficult after playing at Texas A&M and Louisville.

But in reality, these two teams have almost the same strength of schedule: Notre Dame is 70th, Navy is 71st, according to the College Football Network.

Northern Illinois scaled back the game and used its rushing attack to upset Notre Dame in South Bend.

Despite its explosiveness, Navy still runs at a 77.54 percent run rate, the second-highest run rate in America.

The stage is set and the formula is in place for Navy to torpedo Notre Dame’s season.

Recommendation: Navy +13.5 (+105, BetMGM)

Why Should You Trust New York Post Betting?

Mike Calabrese is a handicapper for the New York Post who focuses on college sports. Betting advice generally focuses on situational points including travel, rest and altitude disparities.