Notre Dame opens as three-score favorite vs. Navy
Notre Dame has lost two of the three games in which it was at least a two-touchdown favorite this year. The Irish have a chance to reach .500 in those contests Nov. 12 vs. Navy. They’re a 19-point favorite vs. the Midshipmen in Baltimore (noon ET, ABC), per Circa Sports’ Week 11 opening lines.
The most recent such game was a 44-21 win over UNLV Oct. 22, in which Notre Dame was a 26-point favorite at kickoff, per Caesars Sportsbook. The Irish lost to Marshall 26-21 as 20.5-point favorites Sept. 10 and lost to Stanford 16-14 Oct. 15 when they were favored by 16.5 points.
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Notre Dame beat then-No. 4 Clemson 35-14 Saturday, moving to 6-3 on the season. No matter the result, Notre Dame was likely to be a heavy favorite over Navy, which is 3-6 with an FCS loss and fell to 20-10 to Cincinnati Saturday. The Irish have beaten the Midshipmen four straight times, including three in a row by at least 22 points.
Saturday’s game is at Baltimore’s M&T Bank Stadium, home of the Ravens. It’s the only neutral-site game on Notre Dame’s regular-season schedule. The two teams last played there in 2008, a 27-21 Irish win.
This is the seventh time in 2022 Notre Dame is a favorite. At kickoff, the Irish were favored against Marshall, California (13.5 points), BYU (3.5), Stanford, UNLV and Syracuse (1). They’re 2-4 against the spread as favorites, including two outright losses. Notre Dame was a 3.5-point underdog against Clemson at kickoff. It is 3-0 against the spread as an underdog, including two outright wins.
Notre Dame is back in both voter-based polls Sundays after defeating Clemson. It is No. 20 in the Associated Press top 25 and No. 25 in the coaches poll. The College Football Playoff rankings will refresh Tuesday.
One Top 25 opponent remains on the schedule: CFP No. 9 USC, which Notre Dame plays on the road Nov. 26 to close the regular season. Elsewhere with ranked Irish opponents, CFP No. 17 North Carolina (8-1) beat Virginia 31-28, No. 20 Syracuse (6-3) lost to Pitt 19-9 and No. 2 Ohio State beat Northwestern 21-7.
Notre Dame and Navy last played Nov. 6, 2021 in South Bend. The Irish won 34-6. Navy’s last win in the series was in 2016, a 28-27 victory in Jacksonville, Fla.
