One of Week 9's top matchups is a top-25 collision between the No. 12 Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the No. 24 Navy Midshipmen. This is one of the most storied rivalries across college football with the two meeting for the 97th time in a neutral site game at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

With a 12 p.m. ET kickoff time on Saturday, Navy is looking to grab its first win over Notre Dame since 2016. The Midshipmen feature one of their best teams in years, carrying a perfect 6-0 record while holding +1700 odds to make the College Football Playoff. The Fighting Irish are currently borderline to make the postseason with -160 odds; Navy's long odds to make the playoffs would surely drop with an upset win.

Using the college football odds at FanDuel Sportsbook, let's circle the top bets for this highly-anticipated clash.

All college football odds come from FanDuel Sportsbook and may change after this article is published.

Notre Dame vs. Navy Betting Picks

Navy +13.5 (-102)
Under 50.5 (-110)

Since a shocking 16-14 loss from the paws of the Northern Illinois Huskies, Notre Dame has bounced back with a +29.4 average margin of victory during their five-game win streak while going 4-1 against the spread (ATS). Still, it's difficult to forget that loss to NIU, and the Fighting Irish failed to cover against the Miami (OH) RedHawks about a month ago. Notre Dame still has a tendency to play down to inferior opponents.

Navy's triple option and Wing-T offense is something few offenses feature across college football. This often leads to a positive cover environment for the Midshipmen, as seen in their 5-1 record against the spread (ATS). Few defenses can prepare for an odd offense in only a week's time.

However, I wouldn't hang my hat on this for a Navy cover on Saturday, for these two teams collide almost every season. The Fighting Irish are quite familiar with how to defend the triple option, proven by last season's 42-3 win over the Midshipmen.

Navy went 5-7 last season, though. This year's squad is a different beast with the ability to push the ball down field here as they're averaging 12.8 yards per passing attempt (second-most). The Midshipmen mustered up only 6.1 yards per passing attempt last season (bottom 13%). Don't get it twist, though, Navy still features a heavy-run attack with the second-highest run rate paired with 277.2 rushing yards per contest (third-most).

This will be the Midshipmen's toughest test by a landslide as they've yet to see one defense within the top 75 of EPA allowed per play. Notre Dame is one of the very best defenses across college football, ranked third in EPA allowed per play and sixth in EPA allowed per rushing attempt.

We have seen the Irish show some cracks in their armor, though. This included Northern Illinois logging 190 rushing yards and the Louisville Cardinals stacking 131 rushing yards. While Notre Dame is giving up only 3.3 yards per carry (top 14%) and 113.1 rushing yards per game (top 20%), we can also question who the Irish have played.

Louisville touted the highest EPA per carry ND has seen (ranked 32nd), and the Cardinals still found some success on the ground despite sitting in the bottom 20% of run play rate. NIU currently ranks 90th in EPA per rushing attempt and still had its way against the Golden Domers. Navy is a big step up at 17th in EPA per rushing attempt, and we shouldn't completely disregard the Midshipmen carrying the 5th-best EPA per drop back.

I believe Navy's offense can do enough to stay close in this one. The defense will be a concern, though, ranking 56th in EPA allowed per play. Fortunately, the Fighting Irish are quite one dimensional yet again with 5.8 yards per carry (top 6%) compared to 6.7 yards per passing attempt (bottom 32%).

Where I'm most confident in this market is the under for the 50.5-point total. Each offense heavily leans on the run with few passing yards per game (both teams in the bottom 27%). Plus, Notre Dame is in the top 17% for the most seconds per play while Navy is in the top 3% for the category.

This game is certainly on track to be a slow-paced game with a ton of rushing attempts, putting me firmly on the under. numberFire's game projections also have this game with a 43.6 combined total, suggesting a 65.8% implied probability for the under. That's exceptional value with the current -110 line for the under holding only a 52.4% implied probability.

If this is in line to be a slow-paced battle, the fewer the points, the better chance that Navy can cover a lofty 13.5-point spread. Thanks to a promising under pick, I love pairing this line with the Midshipmen to cover. This slow-paced environment also opens up other promising avenues, such as Navy to cover the +3.5-point first quarter spread (-112).

Jeremiyah Love 70+ Rushing Yards (+100)

Notre Dame's backfield features a very talented running back in Jeremiyah Love, yet he's logging only 11.0 rushing attempts per game. Love is the clear top tailback of this offense, and while it's very early, he's appearing on NFL Mock Draft Data Base's 2026 Consensus Board as a true sophomore.

With that said, a fair share of comfortable wins for the Fighting Irish have contributed to fewer touches for Love. Backing Love for 70+ rushing yards is yet another pick that pairs well with the under and Navy to cover. A close game means more playing time for Love, and we're expecting plenty of rushing attempts in a slow-paced collision.

The sophomore halfback's rushing prop is 65.5 yards, asking for only a few more yards yields plus odds. Perhaps my biggest reasoning here is Love's ability to hit the big play. He's scampered for at least 29 yards on one carry in four of seven games this season. As a Group of Five team, it's difficult to not question how the Midshipmen will react to facing a more talented team.

Notre Dame possesses different size and speed (not the case for most Irish games) than what Navy is used to. Love is the prime example of that with his 4.44-second 40-yard dash -- not bad for a 6-foot, 206-pound running back. Hitting big plays makes 70+ rushing yards within grasp for Love, even if his carries stay down.

The Midshipmen have a defensive concern in this game, as previously mentioned. Navy ranks 69th in EPA allowed per rushing attempt while surrendering 4.4 yards per carry (bottom 38%) and 173.4 rushing yards per game (bottom 31%). What's really concerning here is the Midshipmen have seen only one team in the top 20 of EPA per rushing attempt while the other three FBS opponents were 118th or worse in this category. Yet, Navy's run defense is still this bad.

Of course, the one above average run offense they saw -- the Memphis Tigers -- shredded the Midshipmen for 274 rushing yards and 7.2 yards per rushing attempt. That featured a ton of explosive plays, including a 57-yard tout from Brandon Thomas and a 37-yard scamper from Mario Anderson Jr.

Love is on another level; if Memphis' backs could have a day, you have to like Love's chances of hitting more explosives. Notre Dame will easily be the best rushing attack Navy has seen, averaging the fifth-most EPA per carry.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.