Military Bowl Pittsburgh vs. Navy Picks & Predictions
By Anthony Rome
Navy will take on Pittsburgh from its home field in Annapolis, Maryland today at 2:30PM ET in the 2015 Military Bowl presented by Northrop Grumman.
According to oddsmakers from online sports book Mybookie.ag, the Midshipmen opened as 5-point favorites over the Panthers but the line has dropped all the way down to 3. The total, meanwhile, hasn’t seen any movement after opening at the current number of 53 points.
With 72% of wagers currently on Navy, the reverse line movement is an indication that sharp action is backing Pittsburgh. Either that or wiseguys are planning to be the number past 3 and then will jump on the Midshipmen at a reduced price. It’ll be interesting to see how the line moves as we draw closer to kick off.
Either way, this is a tough spot for Navy. The Midshipmen were on the verge of representing the Group of 5 in a New Year’s Six bowl before losing to Houston and now will play on a Monday afternoon in their own backyard. Granted, it’s essentially a home game for Navy, but the team has to be disappointed that it’s not playing in one of the bigger bowl games in a few days.
On the other side of the equation you have Pittsburgh, which blew a 31-6 fourth-quarter lead in a 35-34 loss to Houston in the Armed Forces Bowl and no doubt wants to finish the season on a high note after losing at home to Miami.
All eyes will be on Heisman candidate Keenan Reynolds today, but the Panthers also boast a trio of offensive playmakers in quarterback Nathan Peterman, running back Qadree ollison, and receiver Tyler Boyd. They have more than enough weapons to keep pace with Reynolds today. They also own the 21st run defense in the nation, which is obviously key to slowing down Navy’s triple-option attack.
MILITARY BOWL FREE PICK: PITTSBURGH PANTHERS +3