The Navy Midshipmen (1-2) cruise into Colorado Springs to battle the Air Force Falcons (3-1) in the first leg to determine the Commander-in-Chief Trophy. Saturday’s kickoff at Falcon Stadium is noon ET. (CBS). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook‘s lines around the Navy vs. Air Force odds, and make our expert college football picks and predictions.
After an ugly 17-14 loss against Wyoming with many players battling illness, Air Force bounced back last Saturday with a decisive 48-20 win over Nevada. The Falcons have been favored in every game this season. Their mixture of service academy option with a bit more air attack allows them to score and score often.
Navy has been trying to find itself in recent seasons. Since QB Keenan Reynolds graduated, the Midshipmen have taken a down turn. They started off this season by losing to FCS Delaware 14-7. Even in their 1st victory last Saturday, they only managed to put up 23 points in a double-OT game against East Carolina to win 23-20. This will not be enough offense to win against the Air Force Academy.
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Navy at Air Force odds
Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Wednesday at 4:09 p.m. ET.
- Money line (ML): Navy +500 (bet $100 to win $500) | Air Force -700 (bet $700 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Navy +14.5 (-122) | Air Force -14.5 (-102)
- Over/Under (O/U): 37.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
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Navy at Air Force picks and predictions
Prediction
Air Force 27 Navy 7
Money line
PASS. The line is too high to make a wager on Air Force.
Against the spread
Take AIR FORCE -14.5 (-102).
Service Academy games tend to lean under the total. Both teams play option attacks, and this bleeds the clock and number of possessions. Even with this, Air Force is going to score on Navy. With a bit of an aerial attack built into their option, Air Force will get a few more drives than normal. This will lead to them scoring while Navy continues to struggle to do so on their end. While this game is likely to go under, it will be due to Navy being inept more so than Air Force not doing their part. Air Force -14.5 (-102) is my favorite play.
Over/Under
UNDER 37.5 (-110) is the smarter play here.
Not only can Navy not score on offense, but their slow pace will also limit the high-flying offense of the Falcons. Air Force will score, but not enough to get this game to the over. Not with how slow Navy will play. While I like Air Force to cover, I do not see the game being a shootout. I lean toward the Under 37.5 (-110).
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