If you like horror shows, then you’ve definitely seen the 2020 classic “Hapless in Annapolis.” It’s the nightmare-inducing story of some college football bettors expecting the Navy Midshipmen to cover a small, one-point spread — only to see them butchered 55-3 in their own home by a visiting group of disciplined Mormons.
Fortunately, main characters usually get a chance at redemption in the second act, and that’s what Navy is hoping to accomplish this weekend in New Orleans against the Tulane Green Wave.
Here are our best NCAA football picks and predictions with the Midshipmen meeting the Green Wave on Saturday, September 19 at 12:00 pm ET.
Navy Midshipmen vs Tulane Green Wave betting preview
Weather
The remnants of Hurricane Sally will have dissipated by game time in the Big Easy. The forecast is calling for a high of 81 and a temperature of 78 at kickoff. Winds will be blowing out of the east-northeast at 16 mph, which could be a slight factor. Be sure to monitor the gametime conditions with our NCAA football weather info.
Key Injuries
Navy: No injuries to report
Tulane: Corey Dauphine RB (out)
Find our latest NCAA football injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Green Wave are 4-0 ATS against a team with a losing record. Find more NCAA football betting trends for Navy vs. Tulane.
Against the spread (ATS) pick
After that embarrassing 52-point loss to BYU, Navy Head Coach Ken Niumatalolo admitted that his team did not engage in live tackling during practices out of coronavirus fears. It showed. His squad was completely unprepared to stop the Cougars offense, giving up 580 total yards.
Offensively, the Midshipmen didn’t fare much better, racking up only 149 total yards, and even that number was a tad misleading. Senior RB Miles Fells carried the rock three times for 55 yards, so Navy’s output wasn’t exactly a team effort.
The Green Wave escaped their season opener with a 27-24 victory against South Alabama, having to rally in the final two quarters after being down 14-6 at halftime. Tulane would prefer to run the ball, and Tyjae Spears did most of the damage, pacing the Green Wave with 105 yards on 11 carries.
Tulane allowed a total of 401 yards on defense last week, but most of those yards came through the air, and as we know, Navy likes to move the ball using the triple-option. This line opened at Tulane -8, which I think is an overreaction based on what we saw from the Midshipmen in Week 1. The number has come down due to some early money on Navy to cover, so now is the time to ride the Green Wave.
PREDICTION: Tulane -7.5 (-110)
Over/Under pick
Neither defense was particularly impressive last week — Navy’s didn’t even show up — and both teams are run-first offenses.
However, Tulane has a more balanced and efficient attack that got better as the game progressed last week. The Midshipmen aren’t as bad as their performance against BYU would suggest, but the Over is 5-0 in their last five games as an underdog.
Also, did I mention that the Mids are going to practice tackling this week? Maybe a few days working on wrapping up will help solve their defensive woes. If not, the Green Wave can trade their helmets for old hockey masks because another slaughter could be headed Navy’s way.
PREDICTION: Over 49 (-110)
Team total pick
It’s only been a week, but Tulane ranks 25th in the country in total offense and will lineup against a Navy defense that is ranked second-to-last in the nation.
That’s not a ton of data, but it’s enough to warrant putting a little cash down on the Green Wave.
PREDICTION: Tulane team total Over 30.5 (-120)
Navy vs Tulane betting card
- Tulane -7.5 (-110)
- Over 48.5 (-110)
- Tulane team total Over 30.5 (-120)
Did you know that if you parlayed today’s NCAA Navy vs. Tulane picks, you could win $56.82 on a $10 bet?
Use our NCAA parlay calculator to create your own parlays and see their potential payouts.
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