Army - Navy

The 126th Army–Navy Game at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore sets up as a classic contrast between a surging favorite and a dangerous underdog. Navy comes in with a stronger record, a top-25 ranking, and clearly the more talented, explosive roster. Quarterback Blake Horvath leads an attack that can still grind on the ground but now hits chunk plays through the air to weapon Eli Heidenreich, giving the Midshipmen a rushing offense that regularly produces big plays and quick scores.

Army, at 6–5, had to rally from an ugly season-opening loss and leans on Jeff Monken’s familiar triple-option identity. The Black Knights remain almost allergic to the forward pass, ranking near the bottom nationally in passing volume, but they control tempo and time of possession behind quarterback Cale Hellums and slot back Noah Short. Linebackers Andon Thomas and Kalib Fortner anchor a defense that usually keeps games in the teens or low 20s.

Navy thumped Army 31–13 last season, and on paper the gap may be even wider this time, but this rivalry has a history of lifting up the underdog and turning talent edges into four-quarter fistfights. The betting market clearly respects Navy: the spread opened around Midshipmen -4.5 and has been bet up to -6.5, touching -7 in some spots. The total opened 38.5 and has ticked down to about 37.5.

Totals history is its own subplot. This game famously stayed under the number for 16 straight seasons before flipping the script with three consecutive overs, reflecting Navy’s upgraded explosiveness and some occasional Army defensive leaks. Bettors now face a classic dilemma: trust the improved Navy offense and the recent over streak, or lean into the shrinking total and the rivalry’s grind-it-out tendencies. Navy has the better roster and momentum, but if history is any guide, Army will have every chance to drag this into another tense one-possession finish deep into the fourth quarter.