NCAA College Football Week 15 Picks - Early Games
NCAA College Football Week 15 Early Games
All times Eastern
Results:
3:00 pm Army (-7, 40) vs. Navy - (Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, PA)The records for the two teams are in opposition, as Army went 9-2 on the year while Navy had one of its worst seasons ever, tying up a 3-9 mark.
Success of the Army squad can be attributed to a crushing defense which allowed just 18.7 points per game, ranked 17th, and ranked fifth in yards allowed per game. Combined with their powerful rushing attack, Army wants to operate as they would on a battlefield. Advancing in a controlled manner, wearing down the opponent, and not retreating when on the defensive, the overall Army attack plan would make Teddy Roosevelt utter a hearty "bully!"
The Middies played a tougher schedule, as they are part of the American Athletic Conference, which includes standouts UCF, Houston, and Memphis, two of which sunk the Navy squad, though the Midshipmen played well enough to not be embarrassed, losing to UCF, 35-24, and to Houston 49-36.
A big win for Navy came in week two of the college season, when they upset Memphis, 22-21. The Middies also had a tilt with Notre Dame, coming out on the losing end again, 44-22, on October 27. A week later, they suffered their worst loss of the season, a 42-0 scalding at Cincinnati. Navy closed out the season with a 37-29 win over Tulsa and a 29-28 loss at Tulane. despite numerous injuries to offensive players, the Middies have found ways to get the job done on occasion.
Both teams prefer to run the football much more than throw it around. The are #2 (Army) and #3 (Navy) in rushing yards per game, behind perennial leader, Georgia Tech.
Conversely, Navy is ranked last in passing yards (#130, 72.2 ypg). Army is second-last, at 81.4. Don't expect to see much of an aerial circus from these two. They get down and dirty, running option offenses.
Outside of their records, the teams are something of mirror images, so one might not want to be swayed by their respective marks. The one big difference is on defense, where the Navy gave up an average of 34.9 points per game. Strength of schedule may have a big say here, though against shared opponents, Army comes out top. Navy lost to both Hawaii and Air Force, while Army topped both of those teams. Additionally, Army lost in OT to Oklahoma, 28-21, and hammered a solid Buffalo team, 42-13. Their only other loss besides to the Sooners, was the season opener at Duke, a 34-14 blowout. Army has a seven-game win streak on the line heading into the traditional closing game.
In the final analysis, Army's defense will go a long way towards a win and their close loss to Oklahoma is a big positive.
Coin Flip: Navy
PREDICTION: Army Knights 34 Navy Midshipmen 21
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Week 14 Early Games
NCAA Week 14 Picks: Coin: 5-3; Rick: 5-3
Cumulative: Coin: 100-111-2; Rick 118-93-2
Saturday, December 8
Army won last year's battle, 14-13, for their second straight over their seafaring opponents. Prior to that, however, Navy grounded the Army 14 straight times. he last four games have been decided by seven points or less, and the last three by four or fewer.
