The 126th edition of the Army-Navy game is set for Saturday afternoon at Baltimore's M&T Bank Stadium.
The pregame narrative: Navy (9-2, 7-1 American) is on the cusp of back-to-back 10-win seasons for the first time in its history. The Midshipmen beat the Black Knights as road underdogs last year, but Army had won and covered in three of four seasons before that.
Check out our best Army vs. Navy picks for the annual rivalry showdown on Dec. 13, featuring a prediction on Army quarterback Cale Hellums.
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Army vs. Navy picks
Best bet: Hellums over 63.5 passing yards (-118)
Hellums is QB1 on Army's depth chart, but he looks more like an RB1 in the box score.
The sophomore has only attempted 69 passes all season, versus a whopping 271 rushes.
That's why we're looking at a double-digit yardage total for Hellums' passing prop. And I want in on the over.
-> Back Army's Cale Hellums to go over his passing yards prop vs. Navy
My main reason for backing the over is that Hellums has been more active as a passer in recent weeks compared to the start of the season:
- First 6 games: 12-for-27 passing, 149 yards, 5.5 yards/attempt
- Past 5 games: 23-for-42 passing, 355 yards, 8.5 yards/attempt
Hellums has attempted nine or more passes in four of his past five games. That's generally a minuscule number for quarterbacks, but when the yardage line is this low, that might be all we need.
Navy's defence has been burned by opposing quarterbacks quite a bit this season, which also plays into this prediction.
According to Game On Paper, the Midshipmen rank 131st in the country in EPA per pass on defence, as well as 114th in passing success rate.
Army is a road dog on Saturday afternoon in a game that is expected to be dry and above-freezing. If the Black Knights have to chase a bit, let's hope Hellums can air it out.
Key stat: In his past five games, Hellums is averaging 71.0 passing yards.
Over/under prediction
Over 38 points (-110): All three NCAA Division I service academies lean heavily on their run games (including Air Force, ironically). That style of play makes it easier to grind the clock, limit possessions and keep scoring low.
Even so, I think the offences in Saturday's rivalry tilt can outgun the defences and push this game past its 38.5-point projected total.
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- In terms of offensive EPA per play, Navy and Army rank eighth and 17th, respectively, in the country.
- Defensively, these schools both rank outside the top 95 in EPA per play.
- Last season, they combined for 391 rushing yards in Navy's 31-13 win.
Overs are 8-3-0 (72.7%) in Navy games this year, which is the fourth-highest hit rate in D-I.
At this number, Navy has cashed the over in 10 of 11 games on the season.
Army, meanwhile, has cleared this point total in seven of 11.
Army vs. Navy football picks made at 3:55 p.m. on Dec. 11, 2025.
