The 2020 college football season opens for Middle Tennessee and Army on Satruday at Michie Stadium in West Point, N.Y., with a 1:30 p.m. ET kickoff. We analyze the Middle Tennessee-Army college football betting odds and lines, with picks and best bets.
Middle Tennessee at Army: Betting odds and lines
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Friday at 7:20 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline: Army -182| Middle Tennessee +150
- Against the Spread/ATS: Army -3.5 (-110) | Middle Tennessee +3.5 (-110)
- Over/Under: 55.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
Middle Tennessee at Army: Three things to know
- Army employs the triple option, which might be difficult for a defense that just learned of its opponent on Aug. 10. The Black Knights averaged 297.2 yards per game on the ground in 2019.
- Middle Tennessee allowed a dismal 194.0 rushing yards per game last season, and 4.9 yards per attempt, suggesting it could be a long day against Army, especially if the Blue Raiders fall behind early.
- MTSU QB Asher O’Hara threw for 2,616 yards and 20 touchdowns with eight interceptions in 2019, while running for another 1,044 yards and nine scores.
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Middle Tennessee at Army: Odds, betting lines and picks
Prediction
Army 34, Middle Tennessee 29
Moneyline (ML)
ARMY (-182) isn’t a bad play on the moneyline, as I normally do not playing three and a hook against the spread. The -170 to -180 range is about as high as I like to go on moneylines. However, not much is normal about this 2020 season, and betting Week 1 comes with plenty of risks due to the lack of sample size and practice time. If you can find moneylines to play, which is essentially a coin-flip wager, those make it easier to navigate the early part of the season.
Against the Spread (ATS)
ARMY (-3.5, -110) is an OK play, as I expect the Black Knights to run wild in this game. However, the dual-threat QB for the Blue Raiders will keep MTSU in the game for Rick Stockstill’s bunch. Go lightly with Army against the number.
Over/Under (O/U)
OVER 55.5 (-110) is the way to go here. The beauty of the triple-option offense is that a lot of preparation time isn’t needed to ramp up to full speed. It’s cut and dry, with plenty of running and not many chances taken. You slam it up the middle or off tackle mostly, and challenge the defense to stop you. MTSU’s defense will be hard-pressed to do that on short notice. But the Blue Raiders have the offense to hang in, and this could be a higher-scoring and rather entertaining battle on the banks of the Hudson.
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