Army vs. Navy prediction, game pick, odds, line: Black Knights try to end the streak

As has become tradition, the regular season will officially end on Saturday when Army and Navy get together for their annual rivalry game. This season's game will be played at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, and it feels like there's a bit more on the line this year than there has been in recent meetings.

Which means that a game that's always entertaining and important has a chance to be even better this season.

Storylines

Army: Army is going bowling this year for the first time since 2010 no matter how this game ends, but that bowl-less streak isn't the only one the Knights would like to end this year. There's that 14-game losing streak that's been hanging over Army's head for too long now. If ever there was a season in which it could be snapped, this might be it. This is the best Army team we've seen in a while, and it will be playing a Navy squad that's dealing with a number of injuries.

Navy: Navy has had a fantastic season, but it's entering this game after losing the American Athletic Conference championship to Temple last week. The Middies lost more than a game last week, as quarterback Will Worth and slotback Toneo Gulley both suffered injuries, and neither will be available for this game. It will also be interesting to see how Navy responds to the fact that this will be the first time since 1941 that it didn't have more than a week to prepare for its rival.

Prediction

It's just too hard to trust Navy to cover this spread right now. First of all, Navy's defense has been very friendly to its opponents for most of the season, so even if Army's offense isn't potent, it should be able to find enough success. The larger concern, however, is the fact that Navy will be on its third quarterback of the season with Zach Abey. The odds are good that Navy will still be able to extend its winning streak, but 8.5 points just feels like too large a gap for this game. Pick: Army +8.5