Army was undoubtedly one of the best teams in the Group of Five this year.
The Black Knights won their first nine games of the 2024 season, and every single one of those contests were decided by double digits. They kept climbing up the College Football Playoff rankings – until they faced Notre Dame.
The Fighting Irish beat Army 49-14, which changed the trajectory of the season for the Black Knights. Army did respond by winning the AAC Championship – a decisive 35-14 victory over Tulane – but that one loss kept the Black Knights from being considered for a CFP spot.
And then, of course, Army lost a couple weeks ago to Navy, which secured the Commander-In-Chief’s Trophy with the victory in the rivalry game.
But Army does have a chance to close out the season with a win. Although it may not be against the opponent that the Black Knights were expecting.
They thought they were going to compete against Sun Belt champion Marshall in the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl. However, the Thundering Herd backed out, as too many of their players had decided to enter the transfer portal.
That means Army will take on Louisiana Tech from Conference USA. The Bulldogs went 5-7 overall during the regular season but did win two of their last three games, including a 12-7 victory at Western Kentucky which went on to compete in the CUSA title game.
Despite their record, the Bulldogs might be a tougher opponent for Army than many are expecting.
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Louisiana Tech vs. Army Betting Odds
Louisiana Tech is a +14.5 college football betting odds underdog against Army, with the Over/Under being 44.5.
The moneyline for Louisiana Tech is +450, while it’s -650 for Army.
Louisiana Tech vs. Army On TV
The matchup between Louisiana Tech and Army will be televised on ESPN.
The game will kick off at 9:15 p.m. ET on Saturday, Dec. 28. The contest is taking place at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana.
Louisiana Tech vs. Army Prediction
I predict Army will win but Louisiana Tech will cover the spread at +14.5. I also project the game will go Under 44.5 total points.
Army was incredibly strong this year, and I could absolutely see the Black Knights dominating on both sides of the ball. They were seventh in the FBS in scoring defense, allowing 16.2 points per game, and 12th in total defense, allowing 304.1 yards per game.
Offensively, Army led the FBS with 298.9 rushing yards per game while ranking 43rd with 31.4 points per game. Black Knights quarterback Bryson Daily has run for 1,532 yards and is tied with Heisman Trophy finalist Ashton Jeanty of Boise State for first in the nation with 29 rushing touchdowns.
But I’m not overlooking Louisiana Tech’s defense. The Bulldogs allowed the 10th-fewest yards in the country with 301.9 per game and ranked 25th in scoring defense with 20.5 points per game allowed. And they weren’t too bad against the run in particular, ranking 30th in rush defense (120.1 yards per contest allowed).
Louisiana Tech’s offense wasn’t stellar this season, which is why I still think Army will end up winning. But also I expect the Bulldogs to make things tough for the Black Knights.
