The 125th match between No. The clash between Army and Navy on Saturday, in Landover (Md. ), will have a greater significance for both teams.

The school that has the best inter-service academy record will receive the Commander-in Chief's Trophy for the first time since 2007.

The Midshipmen (8-3), who were on their way to securing the trophy, took the first steps in securing it when they visited Air Force and thrashed the Falcons by 34-7. The Black Knights (11) did the same on Nov. 2 by thrashing Air Force 20-3 at home despite not having their star quarterback Bryson daily.

Odds and Trends

Sportsbooks have a consensus of 6.0 points in favor of the Army. This includes BetRivers where Army is backed by 77% of spread-line bets and BetMGM where the Black Knights are even more popular, with 92% of money backing them ever since the line was opened at 4.5.

Navy failed to cover each of its last four games against ranked opposition.

PROP PICK

Seven of Navy's eight previous games in December have been under the total point line. This explains the split in public opinion on the Over/Under market.

On Friday afternoon, the 39.0 total point line was reported by BetRivers. The book stated that the Under had drawn 53 percent of money and the Over 60 percent. BetMGM's slightly higher 39-point total saw a similar split, with the Over receiving 55 percent of all bets and the Under receiving 52 percent.

We're taking the Under 39.5 on this game because we expect possessions and scores to be scarce with two offensives based on running.

KEY STAT

Army has won 6 of the last 8 meetings. Navy, however, enters the series with a 2-game winning streak.

THE NEWS

Army has had a successful season this year, the first of its kind in the American Athletic Conference.

The Black Knights won their first nine-game winning streak since 1996, and all eight of their AAC games before thrashing Tulane 35-14 last Friday at West Point.

Army has already matched its program record of 11 victories and will face Marshall in the Independence Bowl on December 28. But the Black Knights season is largely dependent on the result on Saturday.

Army coach Jeff Monken stated that losing this game made the season a little disappointing.

Monken's team has flourished with Daily's 1,480 rushing yardage, which leads the nation in ground attack (314.44 yards per game). Daily shares the college football record for most rushing touchdowns with Ashton Jeanty, a Boise State runningback and Heisman finalist.

The Black Knights are the 7th-lowest scoring team in the country, limiting opponents to only 15.0 points per contest. Andon Thomas leads the unit in tackles (83), and Kalib Fortner is second with 8.5 tackles-for-loss.

Army will be ready to take on a Navy offense with a fresh look that is the key to their turnaround after four consecutive losing seasons.

The Midshipmen, like the Black Knights rely on triple option. But first-year offensive director Drew Cronic added some extra pop to the scheme by incorporating more passing plays and spreading out formations.

Navy scored 32.3 points per match this season, up from 17.7 in the previous season.

Blake Horvath, the Midshipmen's quarterback, leads them with 895 yards on the ground and 13 touchdowns. He also has 1,154 yards in the air and 11 touchdowns. He was unable to play in Navy's regular season finale against East Carolina due to a back injury, but he said that he will be ready for Saturday.

No matter what happens on Saturday, Navy will have its first winning record in 2019 since it went 11-2. They will also be making their first bowl since they played Oklahoma on December 27, that same year, in the Armed Forces Bowl.

They said it

"Don't press. Do not make the game bigger than what it is. "It's a big match, but do not psyche yourself out." Horvath is a junior starting his first Army-Navy match.

PREDICTION

Navy will give Black Knights all they can handle. It is easy to see Army's rout of Tulane, last week, and predict another rout. But this rivalry is unlike any other, and Navy has the nation's best ground game and a defense that can win field position battles. Army has the most balanced team, with the best ground game in the country and a defense that can win the field position battle. --Army 20, Navy 17

Field Level Media

(source: Reuters)