NCAA Football Betting: 2010 Navy Midshipmen
Land, ho! Swab that deck and man the anchor. Ken Niumatalolo and the Navy Midshipmen return to the college gridiron this season running the same triple-option offense that went out of favor with most coaches years ago. Coming off a 10-4 season, only the third time in the program's history it has reach double-digit wins, Navy takes the field this year with a new trick up its sleeve by adding the no-huddle setup to their offense.
The Navy Midshipmen are old school, and I mean that in the most literal sense of the term. Navy employs an offensive formation – the triple-option – that was cooked up 50 years ago when the forward pass was viewed as somewhere between progressive and a cardinal sin.
It’s hard to believe the Midshipmen actually run the triple-option with such success. Like when John Stockton and Karl Malone ran the pick-and-roll with the NBA’s Utah Jazz for the better part of 15 years, everyone knows what’s coming, but they still can’t stop it.
Watching a Navy game is a blast from the past. Every time quarterback Ricky Dobbs runs yet another sweep to the right, I’m waiting for Mad Men’s Don Draper to take off his fedora and light up a Marlboro Red on the sidelines.
The great part is the fun doesn’t stop there. You get to bet on the Midshipmen. This season, Navy should be a profitable college football wager to go along with its unique offense.
The Midshipmen have quietly become one of the top 35 programs in the country despite a serious disadvantage in the recruiting arena. Navy went 10-4 SU (7-7 ATS) for its third double-digit win season in its history in 2009.
Ken Niumatalolo’s team can hang with the big boys, too. The Midshipmen won at Notre Dame and at home against Wake Forest, and suffered close losses at Pittsburgh and Ohio State.
Navy is gunning for an eighth straight winning season this fall, and a berth in the Poinsettia Bowl is guaranteed if it can get to six SU wins. Looking at the schedule, that’ll be a cakewalk for the Midshipmen.
The offense returns seven starters including Dobbs and its top three playmakers from a team that ranked fourth in the nation in rushing (280.5 YPG).
Dobbs is a Heisman Trophy candidate, and while it’ll be hard to put up last season’s numbers, it’s in play. The athletic QB set an NCAA record with 27 rushing touchdowns from under center last season, while he both ran and passed for over 1,000 yards.
Fullback Vince Murray and slotback Marcus Curry are also back in Annapolis, and three starters return from the offensive line. All of that’s fine, but that’s not what has me excited about the Navy offense this season.
The Midshipmen are moving to a no-huddle offense in addition to the triple-option. If they can figure it out, Dobbs and the rest of the weapons could run wild on unsuspecting teams.
The question marks are on the defensive side of the ball. Six starters graduated from last season’s unit, including all four linebackers and a key reserve at that position. In a 3-4 alignment, Navy has its work cut out for it if it’s to repeat last year’s solid defensive performance.
The Midshipmen ranked 18th in the nation in scoring defense (19.4 PPG) last year, but if incoming LBs Vinnie Mauro and Evan Palelei can’t step in right away, it could be a long year for the defense.
Navy is in better shape up front and in the secondary, but it might not be enough to overcome the holes at linebacker.
Add all of this up, and it’s easy to see the Midshipmen as a steady ‘over’ wager on the college football betting board. Navy should score its share of points, but the defense could be in trouble against decent opposition.
With that in mind, the Midshipmen are set to play a relatively easy schedule for a school that has the talent to sneak into the top 25 in the national polls. Navy plays two defending conference champions in Central Michigan and East Carolina, but both of those programs are starting over with a new head coach.
The Midshipmen should be a sharp play against Maryland, Wake Forest, and Notre Dame, and their matchup with Southern Methodist is a toss-up without the benefit of seeing the spread.
Expect Navy to have at least eight SU wins in their 12-game schedule, but 11 victories is in the cards if everything goes its way before bowl season. Against the number, the Midshipmen should remain in the black for the duration.
Land, ho! Swab that deck and man the anchor. Ken Niumatalolo and the Navy Midshipmen return to the college gridiron this season running the same triple-option offense that went out of favor with most coaches years ago. Coming off a 10-4 season, only the third time in the program's history it has reach double-digit wins, Navy takes the field this year with a new trick up its sleeve by adding the no-huddle setup to their offense.
The Navy Midshipmen are old school, and I mean that in the most literal sense of the term. Navy employs an offensive formation – the triple-option – that was cooked up 50 years ago when the forward pass was viewed as somewhere between progressive and a cardinal sin.
It’s hard to believe the Midshipmen actually run the triple-option with such success. Like when John Stockton and Karl Malone ran the pick-and-roll with the NBA’s Utah Jazz for the better part of 15 years, everyone knows what’s coming, but they still can’t stop it.
Watching a Navy game is a blast from the past. Every time quarterback Ricky Dobbs runs yet another sweep to the right, I’m waiting for Mad Men’s Don Draper to take off his fedora and light up a Marlboro Red on the sidelines.
The great part is the fun doesn’t stop there. You get to bet on the Midshipmen. This season, Navy should be a profitable college football wager to go along with its unique offense.
The Midshipmen have quietly become one of the top 35 programs in the country despite a serious disadvantage in the recruiting arena. Navy went 10-4 SU (7-7 ATS) for its third double-digit win season in its history in 2009.
Ken Niumatalolo’s team can hang with the big boys, too. The Midshipmen won at Notre Dame and at home against Wake Forest, and suffered close losses at Pittsburgh and Ohio State.
Navy is gunning for an eighth straight winning season this fall, and a berth in the Poinsettia Bowl is guaranteed if it can get to six SU wins. Looking at the schedule, that’ll be a cakewalk for the Midshipmen.
The offense returns seven starters including Dobbs and its top three playmakers from a team that ranked fourth in the nation in rushing (280.5 YPG).
Dobbs is a Heisman Trophy candidate, and while it’ll be hard to put up last season’s numbers, it’s in play. The athletic QB set an NCAA record with 27 rushing touchdowns from under center last season, while he both ran and passed for over 1,000 yards.
Fullback Vince Murray and slotback Marcus Curry are also back in Annapolis, and three starters return from the offensive line. All of that’s fine, but that’s not what has me excited about the Navy offense this season.
The Midshipmen are moving to a no-huddle offense in addition to the triple-option. If they can figure it out, Dobbs and the rest of the weapons could run wild on unsuspecting teams.
The question marks are on the defensive side of the ball. Six starters graduated from last season’s unit, including all four linebackers and a key reserve at that position. In a 3-4 alignment, Navy has its work cut out for it if it’s to repeat last year’s solid defensive performance.
The Midshipmen ranked 18th in the nation in scoring defense (19.4 PPG) last year, but if incoming LBs Vinnie Mauro and Evan Palelei can’t step in right away, it could be a long year for the defense.
Navy is in better shape up front and in the secondary, but it might not be enough to overcome the holes at linebacker.
Add all of this up, and it’s easy to see the Midshipmen as a steady ‘over’ wager on the college football betting board. Navy should score its share of points, but the defense could be in trouble against decent opposition.
With that in mind, the Midshipmen are set to play a relatively easy schedule for a school that has the talent to sneak into the top 25 in the national polls. Navy plays two defending conference champions in Central Michigan and East Carolina, but both of those programs are starting over with a new head coach.
The Midshipmen should be a sharp play against Maryland, Wake Forest, and Notre Dame, and their matchup with Southern Methodist is a toss-up without the benefit of seeing the spread.
Expect Navy to have at least eight SU wins in their 12-game schedule, but 11 victories is in the cards if everything goes its way before bowl season. Against the number, the Midshipmen should remain in the black for the duration.
