Sport: College FootballPick Selection: Rutgers @ Navy: Navy
You may recall that these teams faced each other last October. That game was critical for both teams as both were undefeated at the time. Rutgers had already earned a national ranking but Navy could well have vaulted into the top 20 with a victory. It wasn't to be for the Midshipmen though, as their quarterback, Brian Hampton, suffered a season-ending injury midway through a scoreless first quarter. Stunned by the loss of their leader, Navy got crushed on the field, losing by a score of 34-0. Hampton's injury forced Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada, who had only previously thrown five passes in six Navy games, to step in. Kaheaku-Enhada didn't fare too well that day. However, the Hawaii native has been Navy's starting quarterback ever since and he has developed into a much better player, showing good poise and effectively running the option. Note that Kaheaku-Enhada was solid in Navy's 30-19 opening week win over Temple, rushing for more than 100 yards, including a 44-yard touchdown. Rutgers returns another strong team. However, they've become a real "media favorite" over the past year and I feel that they've become a bit over-valued as a result. Despite all they hype, the Scarlet Knights remain a "blue collar" team and their style of play often results in close games when matched up against other decent teams. Further "line value" has been provided with by the fact that the pointspread has already climbed a few points from its opening number. The Midshipmen have been terrific on the road for years now. Indeed, they were a stellar 8-2 SU/ATS on the road the past two seasons and they're an extremely profitable 47-18-2 ATS on the road the past 15 years. That's 72.3%! The Midshipmen have also always been highly profitable when playing on the road and attempting to avenge a loss from the previous season. Look for the revenge-minded visitors to continue their strong road play, keeping this game much closer than expected the entire way.
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