Navy Football

When 4-7 Navy and 3-8 Army face off on Saturday, there will be not bowl berth on the line. There also won't be particularly explosive offense or effective defense on either said. What the game will lack in overall skill, however, it will more than make up for in atmosphere.

Regardless of how good or bad either team is, there are few more important or long-standing rivalries in college football than Army vs. Navy. The first game between the service academies took place in 1890, and the tradition has continued every year since.

Army vs. Navy is much more than a football game, however, and that is why it will be uncontested on the national stage of Saturday afternoon. The game is an opportunity to celebrate all of the brave men and women serving in any branch of the military, and that is why the Army-Navy Game will always persevere.

Ultimately, the only thing on the line in this game will be bragging rights. While Navy has had some success in recent years, academic standards and military service prevent elite college prospects from committing to the academies like they used to in the 1960s and prior.

No other game would be able to get away with featuring two teams that have combined for barely over 1,000 passing yards on the season, but Army vs. Navy can do just that because of its incredible tradition and its overarching meaning, which goes far beyond football.

Army vs. Navy simply has a type of pride and pageantry that isn't seen much in college football these days. No matter what circumstances are surrounding it, the Army-Navy Game is always going to be important because we appropriately make it a big deal.

This year's game will likely feature tons of running the ball, and there probably won't be that much scoring, but in the end it doesn't really matter. Army vs. Navy is a fantastic spectacle and what it represents is of great importance.

If you tune in you may not see a great football game, but you will see an incredible scene.

It might not be the most heated rivalry in college football, but many would make the argument that it’s the most storied when Army and Navy collide. It’s a game so important it gets the entire college weekend to itself. This year’s 112th meeting is at FedEx Field outside of Washington, D.C., the first time Army-Navy has been held in the Capital Beltway.

Both clubs will have had a three-week break since their last game, and that length of break is fairly new. In 2009, as conference championship games essentially took over the first weekend of December, this game was moved to the second weekend of the month.

Neither team will be headed to a bowl game this season, so this will conclude the season for each. Navy (4-7) had a two-game winning streak snapped back on Nov. 19 with a 27-24 loss at San Jose State. That officially ended Navy’s streak of eight straight years in a bowl game. Army (3-8) lost at Temple on Nov. 19, 42-14, for its third straight loss and fifth in six games.

And here’s a ‘did you know?’: The first-ever use of instant replay in American sports occurred at the end of the 1963 CBS broadcast of that year’s Army-Navy game, won by Navy 21-15. Apparently the technology was so unfamiliar that many viewers thought Army had scored twice to win the game.

Army vs. Navy Betting Story lines

There is one key injury to note here, and it’s to Army starting QB Trent Steelman. He left that loss to Temple after Army's second play. Steelman was returning from a high left ankle injury after missing the previous three games, and departed with a right leg injury. As of this writing, he’s still questionable for Navy, although all that time off would seem to make it likely Steelman plays.

If Steelman, who has 583 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns on the ground this season, can’t go, freshman Angel Santiago, who’s played in four games this season and completed 7-of-21 pass attempts, would likely start.

Don’t expect perhaps even 21 total pass attempts in this game. Army leads the nation in rushing yards per game at 350.9 and is last in passing at only 48.0 ypg. Steelman has attempted just 39 passes all year and thrown for 347 yards. He only reached double-digit attempts in the season opener.

Navy is No. 4 in rushing (313.7 ypg) and second-to-last in passing (92.4). Senior QB Kriss Proctor, who will be playing his final game, is 51-for-100 for 774 yards passing and leads the team with 817 rushing yards and 12 scores. His season-high in attempts is 24.

Navy beat Army last year 31-17 in Philadelphia as a 7.5-point favorite for its ninth straight win in the series, by far the longest streak for either school vs. its rival. The next longest streak for Navy is five wins, which happened twice from 1939-1943 and 1959-63.

Proctor didn’t play last year, while Steelman actually threw it 20 times and completed 11 for 128 yards and two scores. He also led Army with 74 yards rushing on 19 carries, but he had a crucial fumble as Army was about to score a late second-quarter touchdown that was instead returned for a 98-yard score by Navy for a 24-7 lead.

During the nine-game winning streak, Navy has outscored Army 322-91. The closest game during that stretch came in 2006 when the Midshipmen won 26-14. Before last season, Army hadn’t scored a TD against Navy since that ’06 game.

It appears that whichever team scores first will win. Navy is 4-0 this season when leading after the first quarter, but is 0-4 when trailing. The Black Knights have allowed four opponents to score in the first two minutes of play this year. Army went 1-3 in those games.

Army vs. Navy Betting Odds and Trends

Navy opened as a seven-point favorite with the total at 56 on NCAA football odds.

Five of Navy’s seven losses this year have come by a combined total of 11 points. Navy is just 1-5 in games decided by eight points or less; that’s the third-most losses in the country at that margin.

Army is 5-6 ATS this season and 6-5 for "over/unders"; Navy is 6-5 ATS and 6-5 "O/U."

Navy is 3-7 ATS in past 10 after a loss. Army is 5-0 ATS in past five after allowing at least 40 points in previous game.

The "under" is 5-0 in the past five meetings. The road team has covered four of past five in series (Army technically road team this year).

College Football Picks: Army vs. Navy Betting Preview

The good news is that unlike squabbling Texas and Texas A&M, with the Aggies off to the SEC, this rivalry will continue even if Navy heads to the Big East, as expected, for football.

Army and Navy will both wear specially-designed uniforms for this year's game. Nike worked with both institutions to create unique versions of the company's Pro Combat uniforms.

The Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy is not up for grabs this year as Air Force keeps the award after beating both Army and Navy.

The Mids have won the past two in this series by 14, so that sounds about right to me again this year, thus give the points.

That total seems very high—I could only find it at one book as of this writing. But if it’s accurate, I love the "under."

Doc Moseman is the owner of Doc’s Sports football picks Web site.

It was looking pretty grim for Navy football fans back in October.  

Somehow, the coaching staff worked some magic and remarkably, the team now seems back on track.

After suffering key injuries (SB Aaron Santiago and QB Kris Proctor), playing opponents that cracked the top 25 (South Carolina, Southern Miss, and Notre Dame), and losing four games by a combined total of eight points, the Mids looked to be snakebit and spiraling out of control.

At stake was an opportunity to play in a ninth straight bowl game, and the very real possibility that "The Little Program That Could", which had stood tall against perennial powers like Ohio State and South Carolina, and even beaten Notre Dame three of the previous four years after decades of failure, had simply run out of steam.

After a blowout loss to Notre Dame in Rockne Stadium, coaches and players took stock.

And what they found out was, well, anti-climatic. It could have been that the talent to compete at the Division I level just wasn't there this year.

Or maybe veteran opposing coaches had deciphered the offensive and defensive schemes so painstakingly crafted by former Coach Paul Johnson and others.

Or was it bad officiating, selfish players, or even something intangible, like Mojo and swagger, that plagued the Goats? The coaching staff saw something else.

Niumatalolo was asked in a press conference following the SMU game if he had "yelled more" at the players, exhorting them in a new way. "You guys have been at practice," he answered. "You know nothing has changed." No, he concluded, the problems creating the losing streak were part circumstantial and part personnel related.

To be sure, the defense was young and untried when the season began, and it took a toll. Defensive Coach Buddy Greene rotated four cornerbacks through the defensive set before finally elevating freshman Chris Ferguson to a starting role, and the rest of the defense just wasn't playing with fire.

But when linebackers started dropping back into proper coverage, lineman held off blocks, and defensive backs anticipated passing routes, things began to change. "That's just the way we play Navy football," said defensive captain Jabaree Tuani." "It's hard-nosed football," he concluded - we just keep coming at you." "Flying to the football", an instinct that disappeared during the six-game skid, had returned to the Navy defenders.

So the coaches stayed the course. Practice length, intensity, and makeup remained essentially the same. They avoided wholesale personnel shifts. End-of -practice drills emphasized the fun of playing football, reminding the players that it was, after all, just a game.

So by the time Troy got off the bus at Navy-Marines Corps Memorial Stadium, Navy looked like a team possessed. The defense emerged to get pressure on the quarterback and make timely stops on third downs—both painfully absent over the previous six games. The offense chipped in to the "new" look with their own third down conversions, sustained drives that ate up clock time, and a new-found success in the Red Zone. Transformation had come to Annapolis.

So now what? Will Navy revert to mid-season form, or continue on their upward trajectory? Chastened by the longest losing streak in nine years and rejuvenated by a return to basics, the latter seems more likely. The Mids, however, next face a long, cross country flight, the temptation to look ahead to Army and, perhaps most importantly, another spread offense with a losing record but a ton of great offensive stats. The talking heads would call it "a classic trap game."

Next up: San Jose State.

Last night, the Pac-12 released a statement saying it would be happy staying at 12 teams and not expanding.

That had huge ramifications across the country, even all the way over to the Big East where it was reported by CBSSports.com later that the conference has been in talks with Navy and Air Force to add them as football-only members.

Commissioner John Marinatto also had this to say about the situation, “There’s no urgency to expand. We don’t need to make a quick decision. We need to make the right decision.”

Navy makes sense geographically but Air Force does not and, more importantly, none of this equates to a conference worthy of an automatic BCS Bowl bid.

The Big East sent an unranked Connecticut team to the Fiesta Bowl last season and now West Virginia and TCU are the only schools with any type of football clout after WVU reportedly getting denied by both the SEC and ACC.

Compared to any other major conference, that is not nearly enough schools. There were a lot of fans upset with the Big East getting an automatic qualifying spot while Pittsburgh and Syracuse were still members.

While neither school is currently that good in football, replacing them with Navy and Air Force is a serious downgrade in terms of quality. Over the past five years, the schools are just 14-26 against teams that are currently in a BCS conference and Notre Dame.

What does that add in terms of quality? Sure, it extends the Big East into the Baltimore/Washington D.C. market and all the way out to Colorado—why they are not considering Army over Air Force is anyone’s guess—but the conference would not be worth much without a BCS bowl bid.

The fact is that kids with serious NFL dreams want to play against the best competition as evidenced by recent recruiting. Currently the only Big East school in the Top 25 per Rivals.com is TCU at No. 20. The next closest are Louisville, South Florida and West Virginia who take 41-43, just ahead of Boise State.

Additionally, Air Force and Navy do not have access to the same recruiting pool as the rest of the conference because no other school will force you to go into the military post graduation. It may have worked before 1960 but it will not cut it in this day and age.

Two of the premier coaches of the league are gone with Brian Kelly taking the Notre Dame job and Randy Edsall getting his “dream job” at Maryland and no one other than Gary Patterson has proven he is up to the task.

Charlie Strong and Dana Holgorsen are the real deal but they will need some time to settle in and by that point, they could already be gone.

At least with Pitt and Syracuse, the conference had the schools’ complete devotion in all sports and got great basketball out of it. Adding Navy and particularly Air Force as football only schools both adds to the perception that the Big East is desperate and detracts from the quality of play in the league.

That is a recipe for failure and should not be rewarded with an automatic qualifying BCS Bowl bid.

Check out the full montage of the Pro Combat Unis for Army Here and Navy Here.

Nike’s Pro Combat series of uniforms have been popping up everywhere this season during huge college football games.

Pretty soon, they will find they are being worn by two of the most prestigious football programs in American college football history in one of the oldest rivalry games in the country.

Pro Combat opened the season with the Boise State Broncos debuting their new digs against the Georgia Bulldogs (also donning their new Nikes), on a national stage. Oregon pulled theirs out against LSU on opening day as well.

Upcoming Pro Combat debuts will have Michigan State wearing them against Michigan, as well as LSU rocking them against Auburn.

But the matchup I am most looking forward to seeing them worn in is the Army vs. Navy game on December 10th.

NavySports.com is calling it a perfect marriage for their team.

“Tradition, sacrifice, honor and courage paired together with innovation and technological advancement make up the lifeblood of the United States Naval Academy. Similar concepts unite when Navy straps up the Nike Pro Combat system of dress on December 10th in their attempt to beat Army for the 10th-consecutive season”

The Navy uniforms feature their classic slogan “Don’t Tread on Me” prominently in many areas of the outfit. The anchor symbol is also a feature displayed in many places, none more prominent than on the sides of the helmet and with the interlocking gloves.

These uniforms are elegant and unique, with a blend of modern flash and timeless tradition. 

On the other side of the inter-service battle, the Navy Midshipmen will be staring down their Army Black Knight enemies.

Nike did not change too much on these classic uniforms and really stuck to tradition when they designed the Black Knight uniforms.

The most notable change is in the cleats and socks, which are desert-sand colored, just like the boots the troops serving right now are wearing.

The gloves on these lock together to form the classic Army "A" and the numbers are stenciled in the way much U.S. Army gear is labeled.

I cannot wait for December 10th to see these two teams battle it out in their awesome new uniforms and bring a new twist to one of the classic rivalries in the sport. 

Check out the full montage of the Pro Combat Unis for Army Here and Navy Here 

Follow @AlexPKay

Graduation day at the United States Naval Academy on May 27th was a day of celebration for 1,006 graduates and their families.  The class of 800 men and 206 women, with a few exceptions, will soon be taking their places as Ensigns in the US Navy or second lieutenants in the US Marine Corps.

The class contains two extraordinary captains of the 2010 Navy football team—safety Wyatt Middleton and quarterback Ricky Dobbs who led Navy to four straight bowl seasons and four victories over Army.  Both will receive consideration from the College Football Hall of Fame when they become eligible.  What separates them from most other college athletes and unites them with their former rivals at the other service academies is their commitment to accepting  positions of responsibility in the US military. 

It was really a neat experience to meet both young men at the Army-Navy Game press conference in Philadelphia last December and find out first hand what impressive individuals they both are.  I knew about the accomplishments of Ricky Dobbs less about Wyatt Middleton.  In person, both were extraordinarily polite, thoughtful and ambitious.  They both talked about the plans they have made and the service with the Navy they were genuinely looking forward to.

Ricky Dobbs ran for 2,654 yards and 49 touchdowns in less than three years of starting as an option quarterback for the Midshipmen.  Additionally, he passed for 2,770 yards and another 20 touchdowns.  The 27 touchdowns he scored as a  junior playing the last part of the season with a broken kneecap is an NCAA scoring record for quarterbacks. 

Ricky is a native of Douglasville, Georgia who has discussed his ambitions for the NFL and someday political office.  In his graduation remarks, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates mentioned the ambition of the new Ensign to one day to run for public office  saying, when Dobbs, “finally throws his hat in the ring for President of the United States, he’ll have my endorsement.”

Q. How do you balance all your athletic, academic and military responsibilities:?

A. A lot of prayer; I pray to be able to maintain my focus and prioritize my time correctly.  A lot of times with football, military life and academics, as tough as it is, sometimes something has to give, so you have to pick and choose what gives, an assignment, time to watch film or a formation.  You have to just pick which one at that time should be the top priority.

Q. What academic major are you?  What types of courses are you taking?

A.  General Science major. Taking Oceanography, Analysis of Naval Tactics, Principles of Ship Performance, Thermodynamics, Biology and Electrical Engineering.    

Q. Why does the Army game standout from all the others you play?

A. The Army game stands out because it is played up to be America's Game, last year and this year, it is the only game which is going to be on tv after the conference championship[ games, it is a very big game, it is a rich tradition.

Q.  Do you prefer to run the ball or throw it?

A.  I actually would rather throw the entire game rather than run.  I come from a throwing offense in high school, didn't do triple option at all or any option; I would rather pass the ball than run the ball..

Q.  Why did you select the Naval Academy?

A.  Because of the future benefits, guarantees of a job, because life after football. I was planning for that.  Set my future, my wife and kids up, for whenever I do settle down. I definitely have something, have a path that I can just walk in, is already set, football doesn't last for ever.  If I were at a regular college or university and blew out my knee or something, then I might be stuck paying for college, but here, I can come here, and if I didn't like football, I could say on day one I don't want to play football and continue to go to school here. 

Q.  What are your plans after graduation?

A.  I want to be a surface warfare officer on a ship.  I want to be on a destroyer.

Q.  An Arleigh Burke? 

A. Yes

Q.  Do you know that those shops have a billion dollars worth of radar? 

A.  Yes...(smiling)

Congratulations on your success. 

A.  Thank You!

Patrick Stevens of the Washington Times reports that Ricky Dobbs received his wish and was assigned to the USS Oscar Austin, a super sophisticated Arleigh Burke class destroyer named for an African-American Marine who received the Medal of Honor for heroic conduct, losing his life while attempting to save the life of a fellow marine in Vietnam.

Wyatt Middleton from Norcross, Georgia has a clear path in the Navy; he wants to be an engineer.  But perhaps after a minimum of two years active duty, he may have a chance tryout for the NFL.  Following the season, he was named the winner of the prestigious Roger Staubach Award, given to the Navy football senior deemed to have “Contributed the most to the team's success over his playing career.”  Wyatt is the only player who saw action in every one of Navy’s 53 games over the past four years including 48 straight games through the end of the 2010 season.  His career totals were 317 tackles, five interceptions and eight fumble recoveries. 

Middleton broke Army fans hearts last December when the Black Knights were threatening to score with a minute left in the first half, he grabbed a ball punched from the grasp of ARMY QB Trent Steelman and raced 98 yards to score a back-braking fumble recovery touchdown. 

Now a graduate of the US Naval Academy, USNA.com reports that after six months as a graduate assistant football coach, Ensign Middleton will be taking his place on a US Navy minesweeper based in San Diego.  Minesweepers often work in hostile areas preceding the arrival of larger ships or landing craft so he may soon be on the front line of the fight overseas. Before last fall's Army-Navy game we had a chance to talk with Wyatt who was busy balancing courses such as robotics and engineering management and maintaining a 2.8-2,,9 average with the demands of Division One college football:

Q. What are your plans after graduation?

A.  Plan on becoming a "Surface Warfare Officer" with Engineering Duty Officer option, which means you become an engineer for the Navy.  That means that after you stay on a ship for a year-and-a-half or two years,the Navy will send you off to MIT or the Naval Post Graduate School to get your Masters in mechanical engineering, systems engineering, or electrical engineering.  Then you become a certified ED officer, and once you meet the qualifications,  you can help design different weapons systems on the ship, or help design, new ships or future ships. 

Q. What kind of a ship would you like to serve on?

A.  No particular type of ship right now, from being out on my different service selections, "Amphibs" (Amphibious assault ships) seem to be the definitely seems the way to go, as long as it is a big ship.

Q. What do you think about your Navy colleagues who are serving on the front lines? 

A. They are very impressive, without a doubt, to have signed up to be in the military after Sept. 11th, that is amazing to me.  I know from being on the ships during our summer service assignments periods, I talk to a lot of enlisted guys, a lot of officers, no matter where they are in the world, they are watching this game.  That is what makes this game so special.  You know that Marines, or Sergeants in the Army in the caves of Afghanistan or in Iraq, one minute they will be taking fire, later in the day, they are watching the Army-Navy game, that is amazing to me.  I know guys who have graduated from the Academy different marines who went infantry and have been in harm's way, they still find times to watch us play.

 Q. With all the hype about the Army-Navy Game, do you find you have to remind your teammates that it is still just a football game?

A. Without a doubt, that is the most important thing; you can't get caught up in the hype.  You have a lot of festivities going on during the week of the game. It comes down to it being another football game.You have to make sure you play  your responsibilities and do it well, in order for your team to get the win.  Without a doubt you have to make sure everyone's focus is on the game, You definitely have to focus on the opportunity that you have.

Q. What has been the key to the success of the Navy program in your tenure?

A. From my years here, what makes Navy a successful program, are the coaches.  We have great coaches and great players on the team.  Guys dedicated to the cause and sacrifice a lot to just be here to play football.  Our coaches do a great job of getting us ready to play the games.  

Congratulations and best wishes to all of the 2011 graduates of the US Naval Academy.

Ken Kraetzer covers West Point football and Iona basketball for WVOX and Sons of the American Legion Radio. His aunt was a 27-year US Navy veteran, an uncle a US Navy aviator during WWII and a cousin is a USNA graduate of the 1960s.  He can be reached  on kgk914@aol.com

It’s been two months since National Signing Day and most of the anxiousness has died down about where recruits will sign. Like most people, I got enjoyment out of watching players de-commit from schools I dislike (Florida, Tennessee and Auburn), and seeing others change their minds and go with my favorite (Georgia).

I have to admit, I saw some pretty clever tactics from recruits this year as they revealed their choice. As a Georgia fan, I definitely can’t forget when Carver-Columbus (Ga.) running back Isaiah Crowell pulled a bulldog puppy up to the table to officially commit and sign with the Bulldogs.

There are other times when you see athletes place three hats on the table and pick up the school’s hat that they will sign with.

However, I’m not here to talk about those stories. They’ve had enough press and they’re no longer the center of a coach’s universe, as most coaches are prepping for the upcoming season and starting on next year’s class.

There is one story of which I recently heard that is one that I feel defeats all signing day stories by a long shot.

The Lifetime Network has a new show on Sunday nights entitled Coming Home. What this show does is allow viewers a look at reunions of military personnel and their families after long deployments. In the show’s opening episode, there was a story that struck a nerve inside of me, mainly because I am prior military.

Jeremiah Rutledge III is an athlete in every sense of the word. He can play on both sides of the ball and even returns kicks. During his junior year, his father Jeremiah Rutledge Jr., could be heard on home videos shouting “That’s my boy,” as his son played on the gridiron at Clarksville Northeast High School in Clarksville, Tenn.

Sadly, during his senior year, the elder Rutledge was deployed to Iraq. Thus, his “That’s my boy,” chant was noticeably absent from the stands.

Even with his dad gone, the younger Rutledge still impressed colleges enough to where he had multiple offers to play at the next level. In the end, he decided to go with a school that would set him up for a great future—Navy.

The few days prior to the big day, Rutledge said it was a tough year not having his dad around. He said that it was hard for him that his dad would not be there on one of the biggest days of his life.

So, on National Signing Day, Rutledge entered his high school auditorium with the rest of his teammates who were set to sign with colleges as well. Little did he know, there was a surprise waiting.

After giving a small speech about why he chose Navy, Rutledge looked down. Out of the back stepped his father, who returned with his common chant, “That’s my boy.”

As he looked up, son met his father’s eyes and burst into tears, rising up from his seat to greet his dad with a hug. As tears flowed from both, National Signing Day had a moment that will be frozen in time for one kid. And, this time, it’s not for selfish reasons or the feel of a sense of entitlement. This time, it was the bond between father and son as the son realized his dream of signing to play college football as his proud father looked on.

Poinsettia Bowl officials are confident that tonight's game will take place, despite the fact that the Qualcomm Stadium field was under several inches of water as of Wednesday afternoon. 

The Associated Press reports that several days of heavy rain had the potential of altering things for San Diego State and Navy, who will meet in tonight's Poinsettia Bowl.

However, grounds crews were working around the clock to insure that the game would be played.

According to the Associated Press report on the scene, the tarp covering the field at Qualcomm Stadium could have on top of it 10 or more inches of muddy water. A large parking lot overflowed, too, leaving in question the parking situation for the estimated crowd of 51,000. 

San Diego has been hit hard by heavy rain over the last few days, forcing both Navy and San Diego State to alter practice routines. Both teams practiced in hotel ballrooms while Navy found a local high school with a turf field for their walk-through Wednesday.

The heavy rain also forced the cancellations of events surrounding the Poinsettia Bowl, as visits to SeaWorld and the San Diego Zoo were canceled. The torrential rain also canceled the annual “Gaslamp March,” which features marching bands, cheerleaders and fans in a parade along San Diego's Fifth Avenue and Gaslamp Quarter.

A national weather service reported that anywhere between four to five inches of rain came down in the San Diego area over the last few days, with the majority coming Tuesday into Wednesday.

San Diego State (8-4) makes their first bowl game game since 1998, and as a result they get to travel all the way to San Diego for the game. What a reward. They’ll face Navy (9-3), a team that was guaranteed a spot in this bowl this year as long as they had a winning record.

The game takes place Thursday, Dec. 23 at 8 p.m. EST. At first glance San Diego State has a significant home field advantage, but with a massive naval presence in San Diego there will be plenty of support for the Midshipmen, as well. It should be a raucous crowd.

This has the makings of a very good game. That’s not always the case in games played before Christmas, but this one has all the indications of a barn-burner. The crowd will be huge and enthusiastic.

San Diego State has one of the hottest up-and-coming coaches in the country. They have already shown they can beat teams with a similar style to Navy - they beat Air Force.

Navy’s Ricky Dobbs is a fantastic quarterback - he holds the all-time single season NCAA record for rushing TDs in a season by a QB with 27 - and he’s making his final appearance for the team here. The team will rally around that, and they will rally around the fact that they can wind up with back-to-back 10-win seasons for the first time in the history of the program.

Both teams have a lot to play for, and they will be ready. It’s a potential classic.

The two teams haven’t met since 1997 - a game which San Diego State won handily. While they haven’t played each other in a long time, they have each played some solid teams.

Navy has beaten four bowl teams -- Army, Notre Dame, SMU, and East Carolina (who they beat by 41). Unfortunately, they also lost to two bowl teams -- Air Force and Maryland -- and they have a totally inexplicable loss to Duke staining their record.

San Diego State’s record isn’t quite as impressive. Not nearly, actually. They beat only one bowl team -- Air Force. Beyond that they beat a whole lot of really bad teams. Their losses are more impressive than Navy’s, though - they lost to four bowl teams, and only by an average of 3.75 points. The game that sticks out most is a five point loss at TCU - by far the biggest scare the Horned Frogs had on the year. While the Aztecs have taken huge steps forward under Brady Hoke, it’s important to keep the excitement tempered a bit - they were only 1-4 against teams with a pulse.

Poinsettia Bowl - San Diego State vs. Navy Odds

San Diego State is favored by 4.5, according to college football spreads. The game opened at six, but the action is slightly tilted towards Navy. The total seems reasonably stable at 60.5.

San Diego State vs. Navy Betting Trends

Navy is 14-2 ATS in their last 16 games against teams from the Mountain West Conference. They were a nicely profitable 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games. They have gone ‘over’ the total in four of their last six, but in just six of 12 on the year.

San Diego State is 8-4 ATS, but they haven’t covered two spreads in a row since Week 4 of the season. They covered against UNLV last time out. The ‘over’ was 5-6-1 on the season.

Poinsettia Bowl Predictions and Betting Picks

Navy is a very attractive underdog here. They have beaten better teams, they have an offense that will challenge the Aztecs, and they are more experienced in bowl games and big games. The location won’t be too much of a disadvantage for them because of the Navy presence. They’ll either win or keep it close. Either way this is a nice line.

The total is really big, so my instinct is to go ‘under’ it - neither team consistently bested big numbers this year.