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Army Black Knights vs. Navy Midshipmen Odds & Game Pick (2021)

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This Saturday, we still get some college football! The annual Army vs Navy game is set for 3 pm ET on CBS for Saturday, December 11.

Army is currently 8-3 and will have its game against Navy and play in a bowl game against the Missouri Tigers in the Armed Forces Bowl.

Meanwhile, Navy’s season will be finished by the end of this game as the Midshipmen currently have a record of 3-8. But that doesn’t mean the Midshipmen won’t put up a fight in one of the biggest rivalries in college football.

The annual Army vs Navy game is extremely special. The tradition has gone on since 1890. The series has gone back and forth plenty of times through its rich history. Can Navy steal a victory against Army at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey? Here are our picks and predictions for the Army vs Navy game.

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Details

  • Opening Line: Army -8, O/U 36.5
  • Current Line: Army -8, O/U 34
  • Last meeting: December 12, 2020, Army 15, Navy 0

Overview 

The Army Black Knights have averaged over five touchdowns per game this season. That’s 35 points per game. Meanwhile, the total for Army against Navy is just 34 points.

Usually, teams that don’t understand how to defend the triple option struggle. However, Navy, like Army, also uses a triple-option offense. This isn’t a new scheme for either defense as it’s defended against each day in practice.

Currently, the Black Knights average nearly 400 yards of offense with over 300 of those yards on the ground. Army has plenty of depth at running back and while they don’t have one running back that stands out compared to the rest, the Black Knights have a terrific offensive line that continues to open holes and block their assignments.

Defensively, Army has struggled a bit trying to stop the run. The Black Knights have allowed 103.6 yards per game on the ground this season, which in the box score, doesn’t look all that bad. Realistically, Army has a fantastic pass rush and ultimately has the better front seven, but the pass rush won’t really be much of a factor in a game that will feature mostly running.

Meanwhile, Navy has had a brutal season going 3-8 on the season so far. However, the Midshipman still compares and contrasts nicely against Army. Navy is only scoring 20.4 points per game while averaging 283.3 yards per game. However, the run block is still powerful enough to move the pile against Army.

Neither team has tackled all that well this year. Navy has been a bit worse in that department on defense and has also allowed teams to rush for 131.6 yards per game. Navy has been poor at stopping the run in normal formations. The Midshipmen have also struggled to make tackles. Against Army, that’s not going to be a good thing at all.

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Trends 

  • Black Knights are 6-1-1 ATS in their last 8 neutral site games.
  • Over is 14-6 in Midshipmen last 20 games following a straight-up win of more than 20 points.
  • Over is 8-3 in Midshipmen last 11 games after allowing less than 275 total yards in their previous game.

Bottom Line 

The under is always a hot commodity in the Army vs Navy game. That’s understood knowing how much both of these teams will run and basically run out the clock. However, this year is a bit different. Both of these teams haven’t come close to excelling when it comes to stopping the run or tackling in the open field.

Army is averaging more points than the total, which is at 34 at some outlets. Therefore, I’ll roll with the over. Navy should be able to break through for a couple of big gains along with Army. We’re looking for five touchdowns and a 21-14 game. That would clinch us the over.

Pick: Over 34 (-110)

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Jason Radowitz is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Jason, check out his archive and follow him @Jason_Radowitz.