An American Tradition We Simply Must Bet On

Army vs. Navy, 3:00 ET

There are some rivalries that are just more important than what takes place on the field. In the long history of the United States, we know that our military traditions and the fine service men and women have given so much to us. You probably know a Marine, Army veteran, Navy veteran, and Air Force member. They deserve thanks and praise for dedicating their lives so that we can all live ours with the freedom we enjoy. However, on Saturday, we take a cold hard stand and say I'm with Army, or I'm with Navy, as the two schools battle in the annual meeting.

Army comes into the year with a fairly unimpressive 6-5 record and a 4-4 record in the American Conference. That isn't meant to say that Army has been terrible all season, they've been pretty competitive, even in their losses. They lost three of their first four games, but they gave North Texas, the American Conference runner-up a run for their money in their battle. In that game Army took them to overtime before losing 45-38. I would say one of the bigger blemishes on the record was against Tarleton State, where they lost in double overtime 30-27. This was a game that Army had no business losing. In fact, Army's lone loss this season that was by more than one score was against East Carolina. The other two losses came against Tulane, a road loss that they dropped 24-17 (and keep in mind, Tulane made the College Football Playoffs and won the conference), and the other was against Tulsa, where they lost 26-25. That was a frustrating loss as they allowed Tulsa to score 12 points in the fourth quarter. If they were able to get even one stop, they probably win that game. 

WEST POINT, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 8: Cale Hellums #3 of the Army West Point Black Knights celebrates a short run to the one yard line to seal the win against the Temple Owls at Michie Stadium on November 8, 2025 in West Point, New York.  (Photo by Edward Diller/Getty Images)

Navy enters with a better record, sitting at 9-2 for the season, and a strong 7-1 clip within the conference. Overall, they were third for the season in the conference. The two losses were certainly explainable as they dropped games to Notre Dame, who many consider one of the best teams in the country (and certainly one of the best that didn't make the College Football Playoffs). The other loss was against North Texas. Both of those games did come on the road, which is definitely a contributing factor to them dropping the game. They certainly had their fair share of close matchups this season, but they were able to escape with wins in the majority. What I found most impressive about them is how good their offense has been. Usually Navy and Army are both extremely run heavy teams. And, while that is still true, Navy did throw the ball better than expected this season. They only threw the ball 153 times this year, which is the fewest since 2022, but they completed almost 59% of passes which is the most since 2016. 

Maybe I'm crazy here, knowing both teams will run, but I think this game goes over the total. We know that this is usually a matchup where the teams grind out games and it is low scoring, but this one feels like we should get some points on the board. Army averaged 23 points per game this year, and Navy averaged 32. That's 55 points, and neither defense is that great against stopping the run. I fully expect that the offenses show a more impressive display than the defenses. Give me the over for this game. Not only do I think this is a winner, but I, as a non-serviceman, can root for both teams happily. 

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