CFB Betting: The Group Of Five Underdog Of The Week Is Navy +13.5 at Notre Dame

The 100th edition of the Battle of the Bricks was not good to Ohio.

Miami (Ohio) blew the game open in the third quarter when it took two offensive plays to score two touchdowns. The RedHawks capitalized on the Bobcats’ miscues and picked up a 30-20 win. 

Ohio did not cover the spread as last week’s Group of Five Underdog of the Week. College football betting odds had it as a 3.5-point underdog.

Here’s this week’s selection. 

Navy (Spread +13.5, Moneyline +375) vs. Notre Dame

We all know the struggles Notre Dame has had against Group of Five teams over the past few seasons. Two years ago, the Fighting Irish lost to Marshall as a 20-point favorite, and it was just six weeks ago they fell to Northern Illinois as a 28-point favorite. 

In its past 10 games against G5 teams, Notre Dame is 2-8 against the spread. This Navy team is probably the best G5 team Notre Dame has played since it lost to Cincinnati in 2021. 

The Irish have one of the best defenses in the country, but I would argue their pass defense is better than their rush defense. And, of course, the Midshipmen are going to run the ball. They are averaging 274.8 rushing yards per game and Notre Dame is surrendering 113 rushing YPG. 

Navy’s schedule hasn’t been the strongest, but they are ranked No. 24 in the Associated Press Top 25 and No. 4 in the HERO Sports G5 Top 25 for a reason. I think they’ll be able to find enough success on the ground against the 12th-ranked Irish to sustain drives. 

This will easily be the toughest test for quarterback Blake Horvath and the Navy offense so far this season, but I think they’re up for the challenge. The Midshipmen defense will need to play well and avoid letting a lead balloon, which would make it difficult for Navy to rally back with its rushing attack, even though it can score quickly.

For what it’s worth, the game will be played at a neutral site at MetLife Stadium and the last time these two squads faced off here, the Midshipmen won. Navy is 5-1 against the spread this season and 1-0 as an underdog.

Honorable Mentions 

North Texas (+7.5, +240) vs. Tulane

The Mean Green proved last week that they can compete with the top teams in the AAC. They fell to Memphis but were leading in the second half and had a chance to tie it on the final possession of the game.

Tulane is likely to put up a lot of points against this subpar UNT defense, but the Mean Green have overcome that issue all season and have remained competitive. Quarterback Chandler Morris leads the league in passing with 346 yards per game and has already tossed 23 touchdowns. 

The Green Wave haven’t gone up against a quarterback that slings the ball around like Morris, so we’ll see how they adapt. Morris had 61 pass attempts last week.

UNT is 4-3 against the spread this season, and Tulane is 5-1 ATS.

San Jose State (+4.5, +155) at Fresno State

It seemed like the Spartans did everything they could to lose last week’s game against Wyoming but still came away with a 24-14 win. I don’t know if that says more about SJSU or the Cowboys. 

Regardless, I don’t expect a Ken Niumatalolo-led team to commit the same type of mistakes in consecutive weeks. The Spartans have struggled with penalties all season, but last week featured more mental miscues, especially from new starting QB Walker Eget. 

I anticipate Eget to be a little more fine-tuned in this Mountain West matchup, and he will need to be against a strong Fresno State defense. 

Neither team has covered the spread in their past three outings, but SJSU is 2-1 ATS as an underdog and on the road.

ULM (+7, +220) at South Alabama

I don’t think there’s any reason why South Alabama should be favored by more than a touchdown here. 

The Jaguars haven’t picked up any impressive wins this season while ULM has done nothing but impress. This is this week’s Sun Belt Game of the Week and should be a close contest.