Army vs Navy Prediction: It’s More Fun When Both Teams Are Good

How To Watch Army vs Navy

Date: Saturday, December 13, 2025
Game Time: 3:00 PM ET
TV: CBS
Location: M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, MD

Why Army Will Win

Navy has the better offense.

It does more, it gets more explosion, it has a better passing game, and it has the ability to keep up if this gets into a scoring fight.

But Army is way better at controlling the clock.

Navy is good at ball control, too, but Army takes things up, or down, to another level, grinding the clock to a dead stop when things are working.

The Knights lead the nation in time of possession, and it's not even close.. They keep the ball for 35:16 a game, James Madison is No. 2 at 34:05 - more than a minute less per game - and no one else has it for 34 minutes an outing.

They have to get Navy off the field fast. They want the clock to run, and run, and run, because they almost need this to bog down - they actually win when they're not cranking up a ton of yards.

Stopping the run is everything. The Knights are 6-1 when keeping teams to under 180 yards on the ground, and in this game, when points usually come at a premium, this has to turn into Air Force vs Navy, when the Midshipmen had to win through the air. But ...

Why Navy Will Win

If Army has to throw, there's a problem.

Both teams use the run to set up the pass, but Navy will work the passing attack into the mix just a little more. 

Blake Horvath is better at hitting the deep shot for a Midshipman offense that has no problems throwing it more than ten times per game. If Navy is throwing it more than ten times, that means the ground game isn't working like it needs to.

But Navy is more about doing what Navy wants to do. 

It can control the clock and the tempo just fine, and it really is that threat and ability to throw just a little bit better that helps open up everything else.

Who did the Midshipmen lose to? Notre Dame and North Texas - two teams with high-powered offenses that didn't care about the Navy ground game. But against South Florida, Navy had its most productive game of the year - at least against FBS teams - because everything clicked.

The nation's No. 1 running game works out of various formations, has a bit more to worry about, and if it paves the way to any early lead, forget it.

Army vs Navy Prediction, Betting Lines

Forgive the cliché-fest here, but all analysis doesn't matter when it comes to Army-Navy.

The game got away from a great Army team last year, and it might be easy to assume that's about to happen again.

It's been totally lost in the fog of the season that the Black Knights beat Kansas State in Manhattan, and the North Texas and Tarleton State losses were in overtime, and really should've ended up going the other way.

Navy is the better team overall, but again, in this game, that doesn't necessarily matter. Army will do what Army does, but it can't let Navy keep the chains moving. If the Midshipmen get 20 first downs, forget it.

Navy's offense will be just good enough on third downs to get by.

Navy 23, Army 17 
Line: Navy -6.5, o/u: 38.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 2
Must See Rating: 4.5

Consensus Line from BetMGM, Caesars, DraftKings, and FanDuel. Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.