Categories
NCAA Football

Middle Tennessee vs. Navy Armed Forces Bowl Betting Odds & Free Pick

Blue Raiders vs Midshipmen Gambling Odds

Blue Raiders vs Midshipmen Gambling Odds

Middle Tennessee was bowl eligible last year, but was passed over. They still have a chip on their shoulder and will look to impress in the Armed Forces Bowl. This is Navy’s first Armed Forces Bowl game and will look to win in this spot.

Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders (8-4) vs Navy Midshipmen (8-4)
When: December 30th, 2013 11:45 AM ET
Where: Amon Carter Stadium, Fort Worth, Texas
Broadcast: ESPN
Spread: Navy -6.5
O/U: 56.5
[dfads params=’groups=63740&limit=1&return_javascript=0′]

ATS Matchup Stats | *Insider* Gambling Insight!

Check out our in-house Handicapper!!! Buy Razor Ray’s NCAA FOOTBALL Picks Today!

While this maybe the Armed Forces Bowl this hasn’t been particularly kind to the service academies over the years. Since it’s inception back in 2003, a service academy has only been involved in five of the Armed Forces Bowl games and the service academies are only 2-3 in those games.

CLICK TO GRAB OUR Expert CFB Picks for 2013 NCAA FOOTBALL Betting!

As mentioned above, the first Armed Forces Bowl game took place in 2003, but it wasn’t until 2007 before a service academy participated in the game. In 2007, that team was Air Force and they were defeated by the Cal Golden Bears.

In 2008, Air Force went back to the bowl game only to be defeated once again. This time by the Houston Cougars. Third time was the charm, though. Air Force and Houston met up for a second consecutive and this time Air Force got that win.

In 2010, Army would represent the service academies in the Armed Forces Bowl and they represented them well. Army defeated the SMU Mustangs 16-14. In 2012, Air Force went back once again, but were defeated by the Rice Owls.

So, now, it’s Navy’s turn. They get their chance to shine and they have a dynamic weapon in their arsenal. Keenan Reynolds is one of the best off the radar college football players. Reynolds is a duel threat quarterback as he threw for 1,028 yards and 8 passing touchdowns, while running for 1260 yards and 29 rushing touchdowns.
[soliloquy id=”82219″]
Reynolds scored two rushing touchdowns in the season finale versus Army. And by doing that he broke the FBS single-season record for most touchdowns by a quarterback in a single-season.

While Navy has a very explosive offense led by Reynolds, Middle Tennessee is pretty good themselves. Middle Tennessee put up 415 yards a game (208 yards on the ground, 207 in the air.) and Middle Tennessee scored 30.9 points per game.

Middle Tennessee have a three headed rushing attack in Jordan Parker, Reggie Whatley, and Jeremiah Bryson. Jordan Parker is the leading rusher with 145 carries, 741 yards, and 6 touchdowns. Whatley is right behind Parker with 93 carries, 631 rushing yards, and 3 touchdowns. And Bryson contributed with 73 carries, 355 rushing yards, and 3 touchdowns himself.

Danny’s FREE College Football Pick:

All in all, I think Navy at -6.5 is too high. I see this as a closer game. I believe Navy will score their fair share of points, but their defense will have a lot of difficulty stopping Middle Tennessee consistently. This should be a back-and-forth game with a lot of points and both teams always being in striking distance.

Both teams average 30 points and 4oo yards a game I want to take the over, but with all that running going on, that will limit possessions for both teams, take time off the clock, and this game may struggle to get over. So, I don’t see that as the best pick. The best pick, I believe, is Middle Tennessee at +6.5.

Pick: Middle Tennessee +6.5