Navy vs. Arizona State
Sat., Dec. 29 -- 4 p.m. ET, ESPN2
San Francisco -- AT&T Park
Navy (8-4) will run, run, run. As usual, the Midshipmen have one of the top rushing offenses in the country, grinding out almost 300 yards per contest. While its ground game ranks in the top 10 nationally, only three of the 120 FBS teams have a poorer passing attack.
Arizona State (7-5) isn’t particularly adept at stopping the run. The Sun Devils rank 10th in the Pac-12 and 76th nationally in rushing defense, yielding 172 yards per game. At least ASU will be able to concentrate on a singular purpose when Navy has the football.
The same can’t be said when the Sun Devils are taking the snaps. Arizona State’s balanced offense should hum right along with quarterback Taylor Kelly at the controls. Usually the sophomore is busy dodging pass rushers behind a leaky offensive line, but the Midshipmen front isn’t one that applies much pressure.
Opening point spread: Arizona State by 14 1/2
The pick: Arizona State 42-23
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