College Football Predictions: Army vs. Navy Preview

Written by Jake Thompson
Friday, 09 December 2011 16:40

Our predictions and preview will help make sense of the college football game between Army and Navy.

The annual college football game between the Army Black Knights (3-8) and the Navy Midshipmen (4-7) is schedule for Saturday, and our preview will hopefully let our readers know what to expect in this year’s meeting.  The Army vs. Navy game has a start time of 1:30 PM ET and will be shown live on the CBS channel.  FedEx Field will play host to the 2011 Army vs. Navy game, and the Midshipmen are 7-point favorites with a total of 57.5 according to the college football odds up at Legends Sportsbook.

The Army vs. Navy game was first played in 1890 and there have been a total of 111 meetings between the service academies.  Navy holds a 55-49-7 advantage heading into this clash, and they’ve won 9 straight games against Army.  The Midshipmen have covered the point spread in 7 of those 9 victories, including in last year’s 31-17 win as 7.5-point favorites on the spread.  Navy has won by double digits in all 9 wins, while the under has been a money maker in 5 straight head-to-head meetings.

Army’s Offense vs. Navy’s Defense:

The Black Knights average 25.2 points and 350.9 rushing yards per game, but they’ve really put up most of their statistics against some horrible defenses.  Army has been shut down recently and they simply don’t have a passing attack to keep defenses a bit honest.  They haven’t scored more than 17 points against Navy in any of the last 5 meetings, and the Midshipmen held a similar offense (Western Kentucky) to just 14 points earlier this season.

Navy’s Offense vs. Army’s Defense:

The Midshipmen average 313.7 rushing yards per game, but they are averaging 29.9 points because of their ability to add something resembling a passing threat.  Navy only passes for 92.4 yards per game, but it’s about double what Army is able to put up.  The Black Knights are not able to stop the run and they’ve fared poorly against Navy in the past, giving up an average of over 30 points a game during the 9-game losing streak.

Army vs. Navy Predictions:

These teams will obviously run a ton which will, in turn, grind the clock down and make this a shorter game.  Navy has the edge on offense because of their ability to occasionally mix it up, and I think that will be enough to get them a win.  Our Army vs. Navy prediction calls for the margin of victory to fall exactly on the point spread, so we can’t recommend a bet on that line.  The best bet for the 2011 Army vs. Navy game is on the total, and I feel that these clock-churning offenses will lead to a low-scoring, field position type of game.  Go with the under 57.5 and you should have some extra spending cash for the upcoming holiday season.

Bet on the Army vs. Navy game at Legends Sportsbook and receive a 25% cash bonus on top of your first deposit for clicking on our link to get signed up!

Army 17

Navy 24