Air Force vs. Army: Picks, Predictions and Odds

Partner Authors Updated: Nov 01 2024 13:19

It’s been a banner year in College Football for both Army and Navy, but the same can’t be said for Air Force.

However, any time the service academies get together for a shot at the Commander-in-Chief’s trophy, there is plenty of excitement and anticipation surrounding the game.

This week, the Air Force Falcons are taking on the undefeated No. 21 Army Black Knights in a game that appears to be fairly lopsided on paper given how both teams have looked to this point in the season.

Will the Black Knights keep on rolling and further solidify themselves as contenders for the College Football Playoff, or will the Falcons keep this game closer than anticipated?

Kickoff is just around the corner, so let’s get to our expert’s Air Force vs. Army betting picks and predictions.

Air Force vs. Army betting picks and predictions

Army -21.5 (-110)

Following a couple of excellent seasons in the upper echelon of the Mountain West, Air Force is 1-6 this season, with its only win coming against an FCS team in Merrimack.

The Falcons’ schedule hasn’t been very daunting, as Air Force has played just one Power 5 opponent (Baylor) to this point.

On the other side, Army is undefeated and although its schedule has not been very challenging either, it has blown out most of its opponents.

That trend should continue this week against an overmatched foe.

The Black Knights boast one of the best offenses in the nation, averaging over 40 points and nearly 460 yards per game. They are captained by senior quarterback Bryson Daily, who leads the team in passing and rushing by a wide margin.

Daily has a 57.4 percent completion percentage with 629 passing yards, seven touchdowns and zero interceptions, to go along with 909 rushing yards with 19 rushing touchdowns, the latter of which leads the nation.

This electric Army offense will be going against an Air Force defense that is ranked 87th nationally. This Black Knights’ offense will certainly be the best unit that the Falcons have seen all year.

Defensively, the Black Knights won’t have much trouble in stopping an Air Force offense that ranks 131st out of 134 FBS teams in scoring.

Army is a big favorite in this game and for good reason, as the Black Knights are 8-2 against the spread over their last 10 games dating back to last season.

In fact, before their last outing against East Carolina, they were undefeated against the spread in the 2024 campaign.

This is a team that has bigger fish to fry in the coming weeks, but that still doesn’t mean they won’t be focused for this rivalry matchup.

As long as the Black Knights don’t overlook this game, they should be able to cover this three-touchdown spread.

Over 41.0 total points (-110)

This total suggests that the gameplan for an Air Force cover would follow a lower-scoring blueprint, one where the Falcons could limit the number of Army possessions and keep the clock running.

With that said, the Black Knights are going to generate some explosive plays in this game against an Air Force defense that is outside the top 100 nationally in success rate allowed, estimated points allowed (EPA) per rush, and EPA per dropback.

Daily should be able to get the ball out quickly and take advantage of an Air Force defensive unit that has also struggled with both rushing the passer and tackling in space.

On the other side, the Falcons offense isn’t anything to write home about, but they’ll be going up against an Army defense that is 70th in success rate allowed and outside the top 75 in third down defense.

Therefore, our expert likes Air Force to score just enough points to help push this game Over the total.

Air Force vs. Army odds

Air Force	+1000 ML
Army	-2000 ML
Spread	Army -21.5
Total Points	O/U 41.0

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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.