The 2024 college football regular season has finally wrapped up, and this weekend, we’ll see our first bowl game of the season! South Alabama will meet Western Michigan in the Salute to Veterans Bowl, but before that, as is tradition, we’ll get the Navy-Army game!

That’s it as far as FBS goes, but there’s also some FCS action going on as they start their playoffs. These games can be a lot of fun even for the average football fan, especially when there’s not much else happening on the gridiron that day.

 

 

 

We’ll break it all down below with this week’s version of CFB best bets!

CFB Picks, Predictions & Best Bets: FBS + FCS Games This Weekend

As we’ve been accustomed to nowadays, checking teams’ opt-outs and transfers is an absolute must before making any CFB best bets. Those will certainly come into play in the USA vs. WMU matchup, but luckily, we know that both Navy and Army, as well as the FCS games, will be filled with complete rosters and regular starters.

It should be a nice day to kick back and watch some of the lesser-known schools battle it out! So, here are my CFB picks for this week, which include a Navy vs. Army prediction, South Alabama vs. Western Michigan prediction and more!

 

 

 

Navy vs. Army Prediction: Saturday, December 14th

Who doesn’t love this rivalry? It seems like every year, no matter the spread or how good one side looks, and the other one doesn’t, going into the matchup, it’s always a dogfight. This could be the year that changes, though, as my CFB best bets will allude to.

The Black Knights have been one of the best stories in the nation this season, being ranked in the Top 25 for quite some time now. QB Bryson Dailey has been one of the best players in the country while their defense has remained stout against everyone outside of Notre Dame.

The Midshipmen started out hot, but have since lost 3 of their last 5. They too have one of the best rushing attacks in college football, as the service academies typically do, but it’s the other side of the ball that they’ve struggled with. Navy is ranked 85th in run defense this season (159.8 yards allowed per game), whereas the Black Knight slot in at 11th (104).

With both teams relying almost exclusively on the ground game, this one will come down to which team can better stop the run. And, from what we’ve seen all season long, that team should be Army.

I actually like them to cover outright, but with how close these ones always seem to be, and the spread nearing a full touchdown, I’ll take the Black Knights to lead and both halftime and full time. We still get great odds and Army has been a terrific first half team in 2024. Should they wind up winning a tight one, we’ll still be okay, so long as they take care of business in the first half.

 

 

 

South Alabama vs. Western Michigan Prediction: Saturday, December 14th

The 2024 Salute to Veterans Bowl caps off both the day’s games and our CFB best bets this week. For South Alabama, QB Gio Lopez got injured late in their last game and was seen using crutches afterward.

If he can't play, Bishop Davenport will likely take over as the starting quarterback. The offensive line also faced changes in that game, as starting guard Reed Buys was out. On the other side, Western Michigan has already lost several key players via the transfer portal, mainly TE Blake Bosma (37 catches for 403 yards and 6 touchdowns).

They might also lose center Addison West and guard Jake Gideon via opt-out, which could weaken their offensive line. South Alabama is facing its own transfer portal issues, including the loss of leading rusher Fluff Bothwell, who had 832 yards and 13 touchdowns this season.

The Broncos ended the season scoring 28 points or less in their final 4 games, and put up 14 or less in 2 of their last 3. The Jaguars have been a solid offense this campaign, but if Gio Lopez is a no-go, I worry about their consistency. Even if he plays, their offensive line doesn’t appear to be in a spot to succeed. I’ll take the under, which is the safe bet here in my opinion.

 

 

 

Best CFB Prop Bets & Other Picks - FBS + FCS Games This Weekend