Army-Navy Preview, Props & Prediction

The 125th meeting between No. 22 Army and Navy will mean a little more for both teams when they collide on Saturday in Landover, Md.For the first time in seven years, whichever team wins the game also will secure the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy, the annual prize awarded to the school with the best record in inter-service academy play.The Midshipmen (8-3) took the first step toward securing the hardware on Oct. 5, when they traveled to Air Force and trounced the Falcons 34-7. The Black Knights (11-1) followed suit on Nov. 2, churning out a 20-3 home win over Air Force despite playing without star quarterback Bryson Daily.ODDS AND TRENDSArmy is a consensus 6.0-point favorite among sportsbooks. That includes at BetRivers, where Army has been backed by 77 percent of the spread-line bets, and at BetMGM, where the Black Knights have been even more popular with 92 percent of the money backing them since the line opened at 4.5.Navy has failed to cover the spread in each of its past four games against ranked opponents.PROP PICKEach of the past seven meetings have gone under the total points line, as have seven of Navy’s past eight games played in December, explaining very split action from the public in the Over/Under markets.The total points line at BetRivers on Friday afternoon sat at 39.0, with the book reporting the Under drawing 53 percent of the money while the Over had garnered 60 percent of the total bets. The slightly higher 39.5-point total at BetMGM had seen a similar split with the Over backed by 55 percent of the money while the Under had drawn 52 percent of the total bets.With two run-based offenses, possessions and points will be at a premium, and we’re going with the Under on 39.5 points.KEY STATArmy has won six of the past eight meetings, but Navy enters with a two-game winning streak in the series.THE NEWSArmy won the trophy last year and has enjoyed a historically successful campaign this season, its first in the American Athletic Conference.The Black Knights marched to their first 9-0 start since 1996 and won all eight of their conference games before routing Tulane 35-14 in the AAC title game last Friday in West Point, N.Y.Army already has matched a program record with its 11 wins and is headed to the Independence Bowl to face Marshall on Dec. 28, but the Black Knights’ season largely hinges on Saturday’s result.”No matter what kind of a season we’ve had, losing this game makes the season a bit of a disappointment,” Army coach Jeff Monken said.