The annual Army-Navy game is one of the classic rivalries in all of sports; it dates back to 1890, and is always the signature ending to the college football regular season campaign.
This years’ installment is set to kick off on Saturday, December 8 at 3:00 PM from Lincoln Financial Field in the City of Brotherly Love, with Navy holding a modest edge over Army in the all-time series (60-51-7 SU record overall).
The betting component to this head-to-head gridiron affair is as storied as the rivalry itself, with some major upsets, including the 1950 game, where 2-6 Navy was listed as +21-point underdogs, winning outright by a score of 14-2 over an undefeated Army squad, who was also ranked 2nd in the nation at the time. Even more bananas, the Cadets (now Black Knights) had their 28-game winning streak snapped as a result of the loss.
Army owned a dominating 34-7-3 SU series record over Navy in the 44 years prior to this monumental defeat.
However, in more recent times, going back the last 20 years, Navy is 16-4 SU, with an average margin of victory by 8.8 points. The largest spread came in 2003, when the Midshipmen were installed as -21-point favorites, but their biggest rout came the year prior in 2002, a 58-12 shellacking as -3-point chalk.
Since 1980, the team with the higher winning percentage entering the game is 26-7-1 SU and 20-14 ATS (58.8 %). Ironically, Oddsmakers at top rated sportsbooks like DraftKings listed Army as +6-point dogs in the preseason betting lines, but completely flipped the script as the Black Knights are laying wood and opened as -7-point favorites on the college football odds board in the battle between these two United States Academies.
Army is 9-2 SU and 7-4 ATS in 2018, while Navy posted just a 3-9 SU mark, but covered 5 of their 12 games. Both teams went over the total 6 times while staying below the number on 5 occasions. In the one extra game Navy played they pushed on the closing number. Army (6-5 O/U), Navy (6-5-1 O/U).
An interesting betting stat on the total, UNDER has cashed winning tickets for bettors the last 12 times in a row in this historic game. Also worth noting, Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo has stayed below the posted total in 20 of 23 games (87%) against Army and/or Air Force, an overwhelming differential, and good piece of information to have before placing a bet.
The total opened at 42, but has since been bet down to 40.
