College Football News Preview 2020: Army Black Knights

College Football News Preview 2020: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead to the Army Black Knights season with what you need to know.

College Football News Preview 2020: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead to the Army Black Knights season with what you need to know.


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– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
Schedule Analysis
– Army Previews 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015

2019 Record: 5-8 overall
Head Coach: Jeff Monken, 7th year, 40-36
2019 CFN Final Opinion Ranking: 114
2019 CFN Final Season Formula Ranking: 89
2019 CFN Preview Ranking: 77

Obviously, no one knows what’s going to happen to the 2020 college football season. We’ll take a general look at where each team stands – doing it without spring ball to go by – while crossing our fingers that we’ll all have some well-deserved fun this fall. Hoping you and yours are safe and healthy.

5. College Football News Preview 2020: Army Black Knights Offense 3 Things To Know

– For this whole thing to work, the running game has to go beyond being very, very good. Army was third in the nation in rushing, and it wasn’t good enough.

By any reasonable standard, rushing for 3,863 yards and 45 touchdowns in a year is special, but that’s all Army does. The entire formula is based around controlling the tempo and games, and not hitting 4,000 yards on the ground for the first time in four years matters.

Leading rusher and quarterback Kelvin Hopkins is gone, as are running backs Kell Walker and Connor Slompka. But it’s Army – there are more options.


CFN in 60 Video: Army Black Knights Preview
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It all starts at quarterback with 5-9, 185-pound junior Jabari Laws the likely replacement for Hopkins. Laws finished fourth on the team with 484 yards and four scores, and 6-1, 185-pound senior Christian Anderson ran for 429 yards and four touchdowns. There are eight options to choose from with some of the other quarterbacks being used in other ways.

Who’s going to take over for the 240-pound Slomka at fullback? 5-11, 230-pound Sandon McCoy was third on the team with 576 yards and led the way with ten rushing scores. He’s the main man now to pound it up the gut, and 235-pound junior Cade Bernard is back.  On the outside, senior Artice Hobbs is the leading returning tailback, and the gaps will fill in around him.

The offensive line has a ton of turnover, but that’s normal – the Black Knight offense has a way of building up the talent up front so they’re ready as upperclassmen. 300-pound Peyton Reeder is a good-sized blocker at one guard spot, and 290-pound senior JB Hunter is a solid veteran at center.

6-2, 208-pound Camden Harrison caught 25 passes for 433 yards and three score, making him the program’s top receiver for a season since 2013. 6-3, 235-pound Michael Roberts is also back after catching five passes as more of a short-range target.

NEXT: College Football News Preview 2020: Army Black Knights Defense 3 Things To Know

Army 2020 Preview: CFN in 60

Army Black Knights 2020 Preview: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead with what you need to know. 

Photo Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Army Black Knights 2020 Preview: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead with what you need to know. 

Photo Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Army at Navy odds picks and best bets

Previewing Saturday’s Army at Navy sports betting odds and lines, with college football betting picks, tips and best bets.

The Army Black Knights (5-7) battle the Navy Midshipmen (9-2) Saturday at 3 p.m. ET at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, PA. This year’s contest marks the 120th renewal of America’s biggest military academy gridiron tilt. Navy heads into the game ranked No. 21 in the Amway Coaches Poll powered by USA Today Sports. We analyze the Army-Navy odds and betting lines, while providing college football betting tips and advice on this matchup.

Army at Navy: Three things you need to know

1. Army has won three straight in the series, so the Navy senior class has a lot riding on this game. The Midshipmen are looking for a measure of retribution, and they head to Philadelphia on a roll. Navy is 7-1 over its last eight games, and the Middies tallied 34-plus points seven times in that stetch. For the season, USNA ranks 10th in the nation in scoring, at 39.5 points per game.

2. The Black Knights have had issues on defense over the second half of the season. Those troubles have come mostly against the pass. Saturday, Army will see a Navy offense which runs the ball 87% of the time.

3. The line for the game started at 10.5, then went to 9.5 which triggered a bounce to the 10.5/11 range. It’s the largest line in the series since Navy was favored by 22 in 2015 (a game won 21-17 by Army).


Get some action on this game or others by placing a bet at BetMGM!


Army at Navy: Odds, betting lines and picks

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Thursday at 11:40 a.m. ET.

Prediction

Navy 24, Army 14

Moneyline (ML)

AVOID Army at +325. Navy (-435) is the safe bet to win, but it’s not worth even the slight risk with a $10 returning a profit of just $2.30.

New to sports betting? A $10 wager on Army to win outright would return a profit of $32.50.

Against the Spread (ATS)

ARMY (+10.5, -110) is a solid play. A high-scoring game would be a surprise. So would a Navy win by more than one score. USMA has had some recent losses where field-position and hidden yards added up to bigger deficits than the Knights deserved.

Suggestion: Make a partial-unit bet and hold some in reserve for a possible bump to 11.

Over/Under (O/U)

The Under in the Army-Navy game has gone 13-0 since 2005. Accordingly, the number for this year’s game is 40.5. But consider this: The average total of the last five Army-Navy games is 21.2 points. The average of the last 17 service academy matchups is 39.1 points.

Add in a bit of a breeze and a chance of rain showers, and that makes for a lean on the UNDER 40.5 (-106).

Get some action on this game or others, place a bet with BetMGM today. And for more sports betting picks and tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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Army vs. Navy: Which team has the best uniform for Saturday’s rivalry game?

As usual, these uniforms look incredible.

While most of the college football world takes a break until bowl season officially starts — or until next season for the unlucky teams — one of the biggest rivalry games in the sport is the only matchup of Week 16.

The 120th Army-Navy game kicks off Saturday at 3 p.m. ET (CBS) at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, and these teams are usually impeccably dressed with their alternate uniforms specific to the occasion. And this year is no different.

Navy is currently a 10.5-point favorite over the Black Knights, who are playing for their fourth straight win over the Midshipmen. But in a rivalry game like this, nothing is a sure thing.

So ahead of the week’s only game, let’s compare the two teams’ always incredible alternate uniforms.

Army’s uniforms for 2019 Navy game

This year, Army is honoring the 1st Cavalry Division and the development of air mobility with the first large-scale use of helicopters during the Vietnam War. The game uniforms feature mostly white jerseys with “First Team” and “Army” written on each shoulder and dark green pants with a faded “United States” written down the side.

The color of the helmets matches the pants and has two yellow crossed sabers on them. More about the helmets via Army and Nike’s firstteam.football site:

In 1851, the Army approved the pair of crossed sabers as the new insignia representing U.S. Army Dragoons. They would be worn on the new style caps and become an iconic symbol of the 1st Cavalry Division.

Navy’s uniforms for 2019 Army game

The Midshipmen will wear throwback Under Armour uniforms that celebrate the team’s early 1960s history, specifically honoring Heisman Trophy winners Joe Bellino and Roger Staubach. The jerseys are blue with two gold stripes on the shoulders, resembling the team’s uniforms of the ’60s, and the helmet is a dark gold with an anchor on it.

More via Under Armour:

A burnished coat of bronze paint wraps each helmet and lays beneath Navy’s iconic anchor logo that serves as a call to the Naval Academy’s roots at sea, while the two Heisman winner’s uniform numbers are front and center.

Which one is better?

Vote for which team has the better uniform for the 2019 game:

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Army at Hawaii odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Sunday’s Army Black Knights at Hawaii Rainbow Warriors college football matchup, with NCAA football betting odds, picks and best bets

The Army Tigers (5-6) and Hawaii Rainbow Warriors (8-4) play Sunday at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu at 12:30 a.m. ET. We analyze the Army-Hawaii odds and betting lines while providing college football betting tips and advice on this matchup.

Army at Hawaii: Three things you need to know

1. Army routed VMI 47-6 two weeks ago behind its vaunted rushing attack and new QB Kelvin Hopkins Jr. He ran for over 200 yards and added 49 yards and a touchdown through the air. Army, which had last week off, yields just 19.6 points per game while scoring 30.2 per contest.

2. Hawaii played in a smash-mouth affair against San Diego State and came away with a 14-11 victory last Saturday. That vaulted the Rainbow Warriors into first place of the MWC Western Division. They finished with 132 rushing yards in the win – they’ll have to be more successful on the ground in this one if they want to come away with the W.

3. This has the makings of another lower-scoring game for Hawaii. It is rare to see an Over/Under this low in Hawaii two weeks in a row. More should be expected out of the Hawaii offense this week, but how much is the question.


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Army at Hawaii: Odds, betting lines and picks

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Friday at 1:50 p.m. ET.

Prediction

Hawaii 27, Army 20

Moneyline (ML)

Hawaii is only -134, while Army is +110.

Hawaii must use a semblance of balance or part of its passing game as a short-running game. Army can get stretched out a bit defensively much like the Black Knights spread out teams with their rushing attack. Home advantage plays a role here and it might be worth anywhere from 3-7 points, which makes a difference. Take HAWAII and the reasonable number here.

Against the Spread (ATS)

Army is 5-6 against the spread overall, but is 3-2 ATS on the road, coming in two points per game above the line. Meanwhile, Hawaii is 3-4 ATS at home and is a worse -2.8 points below the cover. However, this spread is unexpectedly more manageable.

Back the RAINBOW WARRIORS (-2.5, -110). A $10 bet results in a $9.09 profit if Hawaii wins by three or more points.

Over/Under (O/U)

The projected total is 54.5. This should be one not to overthink too much as the UNDER (-106) is our pick for this game. Army can control just enough time of possession to make this a reality.

Get some action on this game or others, place a bet with BetMGM today. And for more sports betting picks and tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @ChrisWasselDFS and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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