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Army vs Navy: preview, point spread, prediction

By Rob Wolkenbrod

Nov 19, 2016; West Point, NY, USA; West Point cadets hold a giant American flag during a halftime ceremony of a game between the Army Black Knights and Morgan State Bears at Michie Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Danny Wild-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 19, 2016; West Point, NY, USA; West Point cadets hold a giant American flag during a halftime ceremony of a game between the Army Black Knights and Morgan State Bears at Michie Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Danny Wild-USA TODAY Sports /
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How could things shape up for the annual Army vs. Navy game on Saturday?

To close the college football regular season, a classic rivalry game will take place on Saturday afternoon between Army and Navy. This will take place at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, MD, home of the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens.

Army is coming into their final game of the year at 6-5. They already clinched a bowl game and will face North Texas in the Heart of Dallas Bowl later in the postseason. The Black Knights have struggled over the past six weeks, though, after starting 3-0. They lost two of their past three games to Air Force and Notre Dame but destroyed Morgan State, 60-3.

Navy has had a terrific year after losing star quarterback Keenan Reynolds. They are 9-3 and sit at No. 25 in the polls. This is due to four wins in their past five games, including defeating Notre Dame earlier this season.

However, the Midshipmen will be without some crucial players. They lost quarterback Will Worth and running back Toneo Gulley to season-ending injuries last weekend, and will have to roll with backups to take on their rivals. This will technically be Navy’s third quarterback of the year as they started with Tago Smith to start the season. So, this is going to look like a different team on offense heading into Saturday afternoon.

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As for the point spread, according to ESPN, Navy is a six-point favorite (-6) over Army (+6). This could be due to record and how each team has recently played, among other reasons. The over/under on total points is also 48.

Army-Navy is always entertaining and full of passion as both sides always make this competitive game. The injuries to the No. 25 team are significant, though, and could hamper how things go on offense. This should lead to Army taking advantage and winning this game, 27-21.

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