Midshipmen vs Chippewas NCAA Football Spread/Handicapping
Navy and Central Michigan aren’t accustomed to playing in front of a national television audience, but they’ll get that rare chance this Friday night. ESPN2 has national coverage of this game this Friday night. Both teams come into this game at 2-3.
Navy Midshipmen vs. Central Michigan Chippewas
Kelly/Shorts Stadium
Friday October 12, 8:00 PM EST on ESPN2
College Football Betting Odds from GTBets.eu
Moneyline: Off
College Football Spread: Central Michigan -1.5 (-110) vs. Navy +1.5 (-110)
Over/Under: 59.5
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Which of these teams will make the most of their chance to impress on the big stage?
Navy
Navy has been a very good program over the last few years. The Midshipmen are used to winning and playing in bowl games, but this year’s team is much less experienced. So far this season, the team has experienced quite a few growing pains. Navy was blasted in their first two games by Notre Dame and Penn State, but they did bounce back with an upset win in overtime last weekend over rival Air Force.
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The Midshipmen rely heavily on the running game. In recent years they have often been in the top five in the nation in rushing yardage per game. This year’s squad is currently 16th in the nation in rushing yards per contest. Navy has almost no balance on offense, as the passing game picks up just 117 yards per game through the air.
The Navy defense has struggled against good ground games so far this year. The defensive front is a little bit undersized. They work extremely hard, but sometimes they struggle against huge powerful offensive fronts. The secondary has been very good so far this year, but they’ll be tested by a good quarterback this week.
Central Michigan
Central Michigan pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the season when they beat the Iowa Hawkeyes on the road earlier this year. Unfortunately, the team hasn’t been able to build on that win. The Chippewas have dropped consecutive games against Northern Illinois and Toledo since that big win. Ryan Radcliff is in his third year as the starter at quarterback for Central Michigan.
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Radcliff is a play maker, but he also turns it over quite a bit. He has thrown nine touchdowns and six interceptions so far this season. Zurlon Tipton has emerged as a strong runner in the backfield for the Chippewas.
If this team is going to win some more games, the defense must play better. Central Michigan is giving up 458 total yards of offense per game. Opponents are scoring 40.8 points per game. Northern Illinois scored 55 two weeks ago, and Toledo put up 50 points last week. It’s really tough to win games when the opponent is putting that many points. It isn’t just the defense. The special teams play has been really bad thus far as well. The Chippewas have been losing the field position battle every single week.
Central Michigan’s defense hasn’t been able to stop the run all year, and that is all Navy does on offense. Navy will run the ball time after time, and if the Chippewas can’t stop the run they won’t win this game. I like Navy here.
Free College Football Pick: Navy +1.5
