Army vs. Navy Best Bet: Can Xavier Arline, Midshipmen Get Their Revenge?
On Saturday afternoon, Army and Navy play the standalone NCAAF game. Can Xavier Arline and the Midshipmen get their revenge against Army? Krabs shares his Army vs. Navy best bet.
Krabs - December 9, 2023, 10:00 AM EST
5 minArmy vs. Navy Best Bet: Can Xavier Arline, Midshipmen Get Their Revenge?
On Saturday afternoon, one of college football’s greatest traditions kicks off. The standalone game between Army and Navy should be another close, low-scoring affair. Navy leads the all-time series 62-54-7, and last year’s matchup was the first ever overtime game between these two service academies.
Navy might lead the all-time series, but it’s been Army winning the majority of the games in recent history. Who will come out victorious in Saturday’s standalone CFB game, and more importantly, who will cover the spread?
Army vs. Navy Date, Start Time, and Where to Watch
- Date: December 9, 2023
- Game Time: 3:00 pm ET
- Where to Watch: CBS
Army vs. Navy Prediction
The Midshipmen struggled early in the season, with a revolving door of quarterbacks under center. It will be seniors Xavier Arline starting and Tai Lavatai returning from injury as the backup in what will be the final game of their careers. Army’s quarterback might be better, but Bryson Daily is only a junior. This game means more for Navy.
I’ve been following the Army/Navy for years, ever since I can remember. If there’s one thing that reigns supreme in this matchup, it’s the amount of seniors on each team. Navy doesn’t give out redshirt years; for their 25 seniors partaking in this game, it will be their last. Army, on the other hand, does allow “fifth-year” seniors, but they only have 15 of them. I want my money on the team with more seniors, because they simply want this game more. In this matchup, effort matters more than the players on the field.
Army enters this game on a three-game win streak. They beat an Air Force team without their starting quarterback, an underwhelming Holy Cross team (by three), and a Coastal Carolina team without their star QB. These wins aren’t as great as they seem on paper.
Navy, on the other hand, just got destroyed by an SMU team that simply had too much offense for the Midshipmen to handle. Overall, this Navy defense has improved drastically since the start of the season. They’ve held ECU to 0 points, UAB to 6 points, and Air Force to 17 points in the last couple of months. That SMU game was an outlier; Navy won’t have to worry about defending the pass nearly as much against Army.
I’m sure Navy still remembers their heartbreaking loss in overtime against Army last year in Philly. With more seniors, a better defense, and two senior quarterbacks looking to leave their mark on this rivalry before serving our country, give me Navy on the spread. This game simply means more for them, especially coming off a heartbreaking loss to Army last year, and an embarrassing loss to SMU last week. Go Navy, beat Army!
Army vs. Navy Best Bet
NAVY +3 (-112) Click here to see which sportsbook has the best odds
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