Simulation Picks
Maximize Your Odds of Winning with SportsLine Model and Our Top-Rated Picks!
Maximize Your Odds of Winning with SportsLine Model and Our Top-Rated Picks!
Maximize Your Odds of Winning with SportsLine Model and Our Top-Rated Picks!
Understanding Public and Money
Expert Picks
Navy is one of the youngest teams in the nation, and I think is being overvalued simply as it beat ranked UCF in its most recent outing like way back on Arbor Day (seriously, it's been a while) -- not completing a single pass (on its one attempt). What decade is this? We may not see double-digit pass attempts combined in this one. Army runs it better by a fair amount over the Middies. I want to play the Under 32.5 points, too, considering 16 straight in the series have gone Under, but I just can't bring myself to do it. It's like trying Casu Marzu, which is maggot cheese in Italy. I'm sure it's lovely, but I ain't going there. I probably wasn't going to play this spread, either, but now that it's 3 feel I have to. It might end 2-0. Note that Navy hasn't won back-to-back games all year.
Army enters having covered five straight (the second-longest active streak in FBS), while Navy has covered three games in a row -- against far better competition than West Point faced. Even more interesting, these programs performed almost identically against their lone common opponent, Air Force. So, do we lean towards Army's seemingly better offense (outscored opponents 78-24 the last two games) or Navy's fight against better teams (17-14 at UCF, 32-35 vs. Notre Dame)? We’re going to side with the Midshipmen being more battle-tested (pun not intended) given their play against a much higher level of competition this season. Navy’s effectiveness against the run – particularly on the right side, where Army rushes most frequently – will play a huge role in limiting the Black Knights offense. Losing -2.5 here is unfortunate, and I like it much better should it fall below the key number prior to kickoff.
Imagine the arrogance of betting the Over in the Army-Navy game after it has stayed Under the past 16 years. That’s a 16-0 run, all Under. But that’s what I’ve done with this season’s meeting because this number is ridiculously too low. Let’s conservatively call it 10 points of value taking the Over. If using this low total for the last 16 games, the Over is 9-7. Consider that Navy posted 32 points against Notre Dame just last month, and Army averaged a 29-23 score during the season. Weather is supposed to be perfect for football (no snow or rain and an 8 mile per hour wind). I bet the Over.
It's Army-Navy, also known as Lowest Total Of The Year Classic. The last 10 meetings have averaged 33.1 points per game, with only one north of the 30s (41). There is reason to believe this one will see some scoring. The Black Knights alone have exceeded this total in half of their outings, tallying four times in the 40s. Navy exploded a 53 and two 32s, with one against defensively stingy Notre Dame. The matchup should be spared inclement weather, which has restrained offenses before.