Simulation Picks
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Maximize Your Odds of Winning with SportsLine Model and Our Top-Rated Picks!
Maximize Your Odds of Winning with SportsLine Model and Our Top-Rated Picks!
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Expert Picks
ARMED FORCES BOWL -- A game between the triple option and a wide open AAC system makes you think that this could be destined to hit the over. Not so fast. We saw what Army was all about when it took Oklahoma to overtime. The best defense is a ball control offense, and the Black Knights will have success moving the chains -- especially with Cougars defensive lineman Ed Oliver out. On the flip side, the Cougars will be without star quarterback D'Eriq King. Freshman Clayton Tune has some experience, but will be challenged to score on every possession -- of which there won't be many
ARMED FORCES BOWL -- I feel as though we've seen this game before. Think back to earlier in the season when the Black Knights took on Oklahoma. Similar styles, similar offensive attack coming from the Houston Cougars. Defensively, the Black Knights are one of the better units in the country. Also, the Cougars will be without their defensive star Ed Oliver, which is critical when you're trying to slow down a triple-option offense.
ARMED FORCES BOWL - Who has the homefield advantage here: the actual armed force, or the team playing in its home state? Too tough to call, but when it comes to the game I'm leaning toward Houston even if it doesn't have D'Eriq King. The Cougars play Navy every season, so they're familiar with option offenses, and I think they have too many athletes for the Army defense to slow down over 60 minutes.
ARMED FORCES BOWL -- Houston benefits somewhat with a month to study Army’s mind-bending triple option offense, but the extra time might not matter. The Cougars are absent four defensive starters, notably DT Ed Oliver who has made NFL draft preparation a priority. Navy and Memphis tore through the Coogs on the ground, so imagine what the Black Knights might do. Army won bowls outright in 2016 and ’17 while Houston was stumbling both years. Stunning stat: Army leads the nation in time of possession; the Cougars bring up the rear.
ARMED FORCES BOWL -- Army is in its third straight bowl after making just one bowl in the previous 17 seasons. But my simulations say Houston, with its potent offense, should not be an underdog in this spot. The Cougars rank fourth nationally with 46.4 points per game. In my simulations, Houston is covering 65 percent of the time. Grab the points.