On Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET, the Navy Midshipmen will take on the Marshall Thundering Herd at Jack Stephens Field at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. The Midshipmen will be looking to bounce back from last year's campaign that saw them go 3-7 after finishing the previous season ranked. Meanwhile, Marshall will be looking to build upon last year's 7-3 record and fourth straight bowl game appearance.
The Thundering Herd are favored by 2.5 points in the latest Navy vs. Marshall odds from Caesars Sportsbook, and the over-under is set at 47. Before entering any Marshall vs. Navy picks, you'll want to see the college football predictions from the model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every FBS college football game 10,000 times. Over the past five-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated a stunning profit of over $3,600 for $100 players on its top-rated college football picks against the spread. It also enters Week 1 of the 2021 season on a 57-37 run on all top-rated college football picks. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Navy vs. Marshall. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several college football odds for Navy vs. Marshall:
- Navy vs. Marshall spread: Navy +2.5
- Navy vs. Marshall over-under: 47 points
What you need to know about the Marshall Thundering Herd
Despite posting its fourth straight winning season in 2020, Marshall let go of longtime head coach Doc Holliday even though he was named Conference USA Coach of the Year. Thus, there are higher expectations for the program which was ranked as high as No. 15 late in the season. However, Marshall lost its last three games which expedited Holliday's exit and he's been replaced by first-year head coach Charles Huff who spent the last two years coaching at Alabama.
Huff takes over college football's best defense, statistically, as the Thundering Herd fielded the No. 1 scoring defense in 2020. Marshall allowed just 13.0 points per game and completely shut down the run, allowing only 2.8 yards per carry. The top returning defender is linebacker Eli Neal who finished second on the team in total tackles (75) while finishing second in the conference in assisted tackles (56).
What you need to know about the Navy Midshipmen
Expectations were high for Navy after it finished 2020 with an 11-2 record and ranked No. 20 in the nation. And while things started promising with a 3-2 record after five games, the bottom then fell out as Navy lost its last five games. The last three were particularly troubling as the Midshipmen scored 13 points, combined, over those contests with only one touchdown.
Navy is one of the few teams in the country that runs the triple option and the formation allowed it to average 177.7 rushing yards per game in 2020. The team attempted just over 12 passes per game which was actually high for them due to trailing so often. When Navy is throwing the ball that means it is in trouble so coach Ken Niumatalolo will be hoping the run game can control the clock and the quarterback only has to hand off instead of look downfield.
How to make Marshall vs. Navy picks
The model has simulated Navy vs. Marshall 10,000 times and the results are in. We can tell you that the model is leaning Under, and it's also generated a point-spread pick that hits in almost 70 percent of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Navy vs. Marshall? And which side of the spread hits almost 70 percent of the time? Visit SportsLine right now to see which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the computer model that has crushed its college football picks.
