As the college football betting season winds down, the bitter rivalries across the country are just beginning to heat up. On Saturday afternoon, two long-time rivals face off in Annapolis when the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (5-4, 5-4 ATS) look to avenge last year’s loss to the Navy Midshipmen (6-3, 4-4 ATS). Last year’s 46-44 win in South Bend marked the first victory for the Naval Academy over the Irish in 43 years. The Middies already know they are headed to the EagleBank Bowl, but Notre Dame still needs one more victory to assure itself of bowl eligibility.

Notre Dame bettors were embarrassed last weekend against another one of its rivals, Boston College. They were whitewashed 17-0, the third time the Irish have been shut out in the past two seasons. QB Jimmy Clausen had a learning experience of sorts against the relentless BC defense. He completed 26-of-46 passes for 226 yards and tossed four interceptions. ND’s rushing attack wasn’t much better, as it only managed 66 yards on 21 carries.

The defense held Eagles QB Chris Crane to just 79 passing yards, but the lack of offense left sports betting fans that backed the Irish with no chance of cashing a winning ticket. As a response, HC Charlie Weis says that he will take over the offensive play calling this week. After rolling off four straight covers, the month of November has been awful for Notre Dame, as it has dropped back-to-back betting decisions by an average of 10.3 points per game.

Navy gained bowl eligibility by beating the Owls 33-27 in overtime, but it didn’t come without plenty of drama. Temple took a 27-7 lead with just 13:41 remaining, but the Middies stormed back, scoring three touchdowns in the final 9:16 to force the game into the extra frame. The defense held Temple, and Ricky Dobbs’ 1-yard touchdown plunge gave Navy the victory. It wasn’t quite enough for Navy bettors though since they were favored by eight points. The comeback was just what ‘over’ bettors ordered though, as the game was pushed past the number with Navy’s second of three 4th quarter TDs.

Even though they only average 66.9 passing yards per game, the option attack ranks 2nd in the nation with 308 yards per game. Last season, they rolled up 257 rushing yards against the Irish, but duplicating that could be difficult if QB Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada isn’t able to go with an injured hamstring this weekend.

Oddsmakers have installed the visiting Irish as 3.5-point favorites. The ‘total’ has been set at 51.5.

Consider adding Notre Dame to your college football betting card this weekend. Navy is just 5-11 ATS in its L/11 home games, while the road team in this series is 12-1 ATS throughout the L/13 meetings. The Irish are also 4-1 ATS in their L/5 trips to Annapolis.

Whether you plan on wagering on the spread, moneyline, or ‘total’ in this match-up, Bookmaker has all of your options covered, so login to your account right now and get in on all the action!

by Bookmaker Racebook