Navy vs Army Prediction, Preview, and Betting Odds For 12/14/24

On Saturday, the Navy Midshipmen will face off against the Army Black Knights in the annual Army/Navy Game, which will be held in Landover, MD this time around. This game will determine which service academy wins the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy for this season, as both teams already have a win over Air Force on the year. Army enters this game as a 5.5-point favorite, while the total for the game has been set at 40.5.

In this Navy vs Army preview, we will break down each team’s keys to winning this rivalry game. We will also use our college football betting expertise to give you our best bet for this annual staple of the college football calendar.

Navy Looks to Lock Up Commander-In-Chief’s Trophy

The Navy Midshipmen got off to a great start to the 2024 college football season, winning their first six games and ending up in the top-25 in the nation after doing so. But they fell apart in the second half of the season, going 2-3 and finishing the year with an 8-3 record. Still, they can accomplish their top goal for the season with a win on Saturday, as a victory over Army would bring them the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy and a win over their fircest rivals in Army.

For the Midshipmen, the key to this game is going to be containing Army quarterback Bryson Daily. Daily has piled up rushing touchdowns this season, to the point that he is tied with Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty for the most in the country at 29. If Navy can’t maintain their assignments and slow Daily down, they could be in for a long afternoon in Maryland.

From a college football betting perspective, Navy covered the spread in seven of their 11 games so far this season. They also went over the total in seven of their 11 games this year. But the total is a trend worth mentioning going into the Army/Navy Game on the Midshipmen’s side. They went over the total in each of their first seven games and have gone under the total in four straight games since then. Given the history of Army and Navy playing low-scoring football games, we could see Navy play another under game here.

Army Looks to Win Trophy In Second Straight Game

Army won its first conference championship as a member of the American Athletic Conference the last time we saw them, as they destroyed the Tulane Green Wave at home in the AAC title game. Army attempted just two passes in that game, but didn’t need to put the ball in the air after rushing for 338 yards on 55 attempts. After that game, they acknowledged that their focus had immediately shifted to their matchup with Navy this weekend.

This will be a different Army/Navy Game than usual for the Black Knights defense. Normally, both teams in this game are able to just pin their ears back and try to stop the triple-option offense of their opponent. But this year’s Navy team is much better at throwing the football than previous versions of the Midshipmen have been. That will make this rivalry game a unique challenge for Army’s defense in a game in which they will look to stay in the top-25 going into bowl season.

Despite still having a regular season game left, both Army and Navy have their bowl plans laid out for them already. Navy is set to face Oklahoma in the Armed Forces Bowl, while Army is going to take on Marshall in the Independence Bowl. That feels like a very unfair bowl assignment for Army, who deserves a more marquee bowl game after the season they’ve had. It will be interesting to see how they play in this game with that in mind, not that any participant in this storied rivalry need any added motivation.

Navy vs Army Best Bet

Our best bet for Navy vs Army is for these teams to combine to go over the total of 40.5 points. Both of these offenses are much more explosive than they have been in past seasons. Look for them to prove that this week in one of just two games taking place on Saturday in college football, as South Alabama and Western Michigan kick off this year’s bowl games after Army and Navy face off.

For more on today's game check out the comprehensive statistics, betting odds, and trends below. Be sure to check out all our free NCAAFB picks here.