W VIRGINIA vs ARMY
When: 12/31/2020 4:00 PM
Where:

TV: 4:00 PM
LINE: 7
PREDICTION: ARMY , W VIRGINIA

Oddsmakers currently have the ARMY listed as 7 point favorites versus the W VIRGINIA, while the game’s total is sitting at 42.

When West Virginia coach Neil Brown gathered his coaches and players for practice on Dec. 21, they were preparing for a Liberty Bowl matchup with Tennessee on New Year’s Eve in Memphis.

Then 2020 intervened.

“We started the day preparing for one opponent and will end it preparing for another, but that’s how crazy 2020 has been,” Brown said.

Tennessee pulled out of the bowl game after coach Jeremy Pruitt and multiple players tested positive for COVID-19. Luckily enough for the Liberty Bowl, it had a better team ready to step in.

Army went from being an outrageous snub to being an attractive catch at 9-2. The Commander-in-Chief trophy winners after a 10-7 defeat of Air Force on Dec. 19, the Black Knights were originally ticketed for the Independence Bowl after winning their sixth game on Oct. 24.

But when the Shreveport-based bowl had to cancel because so many prospective opponents opted out, it left Army in a lurch not of its own making.

Coach Jeff Monken made it clear that he thought his team was getting the short end of the stick, and aside from a handful of ESPN talking heads who had no trouble lugging the Power 5 conferences’ water while leaving Group of 5 schools parched, Monken was preaching to the choir.

As the old saying goes, better late than never. The Knights have their bowl bid, and West Virginia (5-4) has a new, more formidable opponent.

“I have great respect for the Army football tradition and the sacrifice the cadets make daily for our country,” Brown said. “Coach Monken and his staff have done a great job at West Point.”

The Knights own 43 wins in the last five years under Monken, a disciple of former Navy and Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson.

Much like Johnson, Monken believes in triple-option football, a staple at the military academies for most of the last 30 years.

Army finished fourth in the nation this year in rushing, averaging 281.3 yards per game despite having only one player rush for more than 500 yards. But it had four players between 401 and 502 yards, a testament to the balance it possesses.

Most importantly, the Knights played excellent defense, permitting just 14 points per game. Nearly a fourth of their allowance came in a 38-12 loss last month at Tulane. Their other loss was to Cincinnati, 24-10, in September. Cincinnati is now 9-0 and ranked No. 8 in the CFP poll.

“This is going to be a tremendous challenge for us to have any opportunity to win the game,” Monken said. “It’s exciting for our players. They came here to play big-time football against top-level opponents, and I’m glad they have the opportunity to play one in West Virginia.”

The Mountaineers could have easily been 7-2 were it not for one-possession losses at Texas Tech (34-27) and Texas (17-13) in a three-week span. Their final regular-season game with Oklahoma was canceled because of COVID-19 concerns.

West Virginia’s offense is led by Jarret Doege (2,428 yards, 13 TD passes) and Leddie Brown (945 rushing yards, nine TDs).

This will mark the first time the programs have met in 59 years. Army leads the series 2-1.

The post W VIRGINIA vs. ARMY 12/31/2020 Free Pick & CFB Betting Prediction appeared first on IdealCapper.

MIAMI OHIO vs ARMY
When: 12:00 PM ET, Saturday, October 20, 2018
Where: Michie Stadium, West Point, New York

TV: 12:00 PM
LINE: -7.5
PREDICTION: ARMY , MIAMI OHIO

Oddsmakers currently have the ARMY listed as -7.5 point favorites versus the MIAMI OHIO, while the game’s total is sitting at 47.

Overall Team Offense

• The Army Black Knights are ranked 58 on offense, averaging 414.3 yards per game. The Black Knights are averaging 313.5 yards rushing and 100.8 yards passing so far this season.
• The Miami (Ohio) Redhawks are ranked 102 on offense, averaging 360.6 yards per game. The Redhawks are averaging 154.9 yards rushing and 205.7 yards passing so far this season.

Home and Away

• The Army Black Knights are 2-0 at home this season, 1-0 against conference opponents and 6763-6763 against non-conference opponents.
• At home the Black Knights are averaging 33.0 scoring, and holding teams to 17.5 points scored on defense.
• The Miami (Ohio) Redhawks are 2-1 while on the road this season, 3-1 against conference opponents and 6763-6763 against non-conference opponents.
• On the road, the Redhawks are averaging 27.3 scoring, and holding teams to 22.0 points scored on defense.

The post MIAMI OHIO vs. ARMY 10/20/2018 Free Pick & CFB Betting Prediction appeared first on IdealCapper.

LIBERTY vs ARMY
When: 12:00 PM ET, Saturday, September 8, 2018
Where: Michie Stadium, West Point, New York

TV: 12:00 PM
LINE:
PREDICTION: ARMY , LIBERTY

Oddsmakers currently have the ARMY listed as point favorites versus the LIBERTY, while the game’s total is sitting at .

The post LIBERTY vs. ARMY 9/8/2018 Free Pick & CFB Betting Prediction appeared first on IdealCapper.

ARMY vs DUKE
When: 7:00 PM ET, Friday, August 31, 2018
Where: Wallace Wade Stadium, Durham, North Carolina

TV: 7:00 PM
LINE: -14
PREDICTION: DUKE , ARMY

Oddsmakers currently have the DUKE listed as -14 point favorites versus the ARMY, while the game’s total is sitting at 45.5.

Duke looks to build off a strong finish to last season with an experienced group on both sides of the ball when it hosts Army on Friday night to open the 2018 campaign. The Blue Devils lost six straight contests in the middle of 2017, including a 21-16 setback at Army, but averaged 36.7 points in three consecutive wins that culminated with a victory over Northern Illinois in the Quick Lane Bowl.

Junior quarterback Daniel Jones threw six touchdown passes and ran for three more in the final three games for Duke last season and leads the offense while preseason All-American cornerback Mark Gilbert keys a well-seasoned defense that will take on Army’s triple-option attack. The Black Knights rushed for 226 yards against the Blue Devils in last year’s win, but they must introduce a new quarterback with standout Ahmad Bradshaw (1,746 yards on the ground in 2017) gone. Army won eight of the last nine games a year ago, including the Armed Forces Bowl, and won the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy for the first time since 1996. The Black Knights, who went 18-8 in the last two seasons after winning 14 combined in the previous five years, still should be able to move the ball on the ground with a stable of productive and experienced running backs while they search for more consistency on defense.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, ESPNU. LINE: Duke -13.5

ABOUT ARMY (2017: 10-3): Junior Kelvin Hopkins Jr. from Charlotte, N.C., who ran seven times for 40 yards and passed for 76 more last year, will get the first chance of filling Bradshaw’s shoes at quarterback and he can rely on veteran running backs. Seniors Darnell Woolfolk (812 yards rushing, 14 TDs last year) and Andy Davidson (627, five), along with junior Kell Walker (629, six), all have loads of experience to carry the load while Hopkins settles in. The Black Knights’ defense gave up at least 28 points in three of its last six games last season and will be led by talented senior linebacker James Nachtigal, who finished with 103 tackles and five sacks in 2017.

ABOUT DUKE (2017: 7-6): Jones will have to improve on his efficiency after throwing 30 touchdown passes while getting intercepted 20 times in his career and completing just 56.7 percent of his attempts in 2017. Jones has plenty of experienced targets with seniors T.J. Rahming (65 catches, 795 yards in 2017), Johnathan Lloyd (39, 367) and Chris Taylor (25, 332), and a group of impressive freshmen who will get chances. Gilbert had six interceptions last year while junior linebacker Joe Giles-Harris (125 tackles, 4.5 sacks) and senior linebacker Ben Humphreys also return for a defense which allowed 20.4 points per game in the last seven of 2017.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Sophomore RB Brittain Brown (701 yards, seven TDs) is the top rusher returning for the Blue Devils.

2. Woolfolk, Davidson and Walker have combined for 48 career TDs on the ground and each ran for 100 yards in a game twice last year.

3. Rahming is fifth all time at Duke in receptions (178) and ninth in receiving yards (2,108), but has just five career TDs.

PREDICTION: Duke 31, Army 14

The post ARMY vs. DUKE 8/31/2018 Free Pick & CFB Betting Prediction appeared first on IdealCapper.