The Air Force Falcons (1-0) and Navy Midshipmen (0-1) tee it up Saturday as the race for the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy get underway. The gridiron squads representing the Air Force and Naval Academies will tangle at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis; kickoff is slated for 3:30 p.m ET. Below, we look at the Air Force vs. Navy odds and lines, and make our expert college football picks, predictions and bets.
QB Haaziq Daniels ran for 3 touchdowns, as Air Force clocked a 35-14 victory over FCS foe Lafayette last week. The Falcons better than doubled up the Leopards 24-11 in first downs with a strong ground game leading the attack. The Falcons toted the ball 67 times for 370 yards (5.5 average). Daniels passed for 50 yards and ran for 72 in the season-opening triumph.
Navy was sunk 49-7 by Marshall last week. The Midshipmen were outgained by just 66 yards and had one more first down than the Herd. USNA earned a 34-25 comeback victory in its last home tilt against the Falcons in 2019. The Middies scored the go-ahead TD with 23 seconds remaining.
Air Force at Navy odds, spread and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 9:50 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Air Force -250 (bet $250 to win $100) | Navy +200 (bet $100 to win $200)
- Against the spread (ATS): Air Force -5.5 (-112) | Navy +5.5 (-108)
- Over/Under (O/U): 39.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
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Air Force at Navy odds, lines, picks and predictions
Prediction
Air Force 28, Navy 21
Money line
Don’t dismiss favorites in the -200 to -300 range out of hand. There are occasions where there is decent leverage in this neighborhood but this isn’t one of those times.
An Air Force play would be on the radar at a price better than -220. PASS ON THIS TAG.
Against the spread
The Falcons are 4-1 against the spread in their last five meetings with the Midshipmen.
The Air Force defense figures as a solid unit and Navy QB Tai Lavatai was hurt after being sacked five times last week. The Middies had trouble turning yards into points last week; they may find more points this week peg them as a touchdown or more down throughout this contest.
BACK AIR FORCE -5.5 (-112).
Over/Under
The Under has gone 7-2 in the last nine series meetings. Look for some push back in 2021.
Navy may be a few points undervalued after last week and Air Force showed some life in the back half of last year’s 3-3 campaign.
TAKE THE OVER 39.5 (-110).
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