Virginia vs. Navy Bowl Prediction
Will the Virginia Cavaliers beat the Navy Midshipmen in the Military Bowl presented by Northrop Grumman today at 1:30 p.m. ET?
ODDSMAKERS LIKE: Virginia. According to oddsmakers from online sports book Bovada.lv, the Cavaliers are now 1-point favorites to beat the Midshipmen after opening as a 3.5-point underdog. As for the total, the number sits at 52 points, down from the original number of 56.
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THE PUBLIC LIKES: Navy. As of Thursday morning, 54% of betting tickets are on the Midshipmen to cover the spread but 53% of the money is on the Cavaliers.
INJURY REPORT: Juwan Moye (suspension), Steven Wright (suspension) and Ben Hogg (undisclosed) are all out for Virginia while Micah Kiser (thumb) is probable. For Navy, Anthony Gargiulo (ankle) is probable, Keoni-Kordell Mahekau (concussion) is questionable, and Jerry Thompson (arm), Tre Walker (knee) and Erik Harris (suspension) are all out.
WHO WE LIKE: Virginia. Navy has the advantage of playing at home in Annapolis, Maryland but that’s where the advantages end for the Midshipmen. (Besides, the Virginia border is less than 50 miles from the stadium so it’s not as if the Cavaliers won’t be well represented.)
Senior quarterback Kurt Benkert should move the ball against Navy’s 60th ranked defense. The Midshipmen are allowing 386.6 yards per game this season and 27.9 points per contest, which ranks 74th. With Benkert under center, the Cavaliers rank 43rd in the nation in passing yards offensively and even though Virginia has had issues stopping the run at times this season, if the Cavaliers can turn this game into a shootout I like their chances of pulling one out.
Navy is just 3-7-1 against the spread in its last 11 games after allowing more than 200 yards rushing in its previous game. The Midshipmen are also just 1-3-1 at the betting window in their last five games coming off a loss.
MILITARY BOWL PREDICTION: VIRGINIA CAVALIERS -1