The Liberty Bowl was supposed to be a game between West Virginia and Tennessee, but as we know by 2020, there is still nothing before the game officially begins. Tennessee had to withdraw from the game due to the COVID-19 issues and Army, who were looking for an extra game, were happy to fill in for the Vols.
The Black Knights now have the opportunity to win their tenth game for the third time in the past four seasons and for the fourth time in program history. Coach Jeff Monken is still doing a great job at West Point and should be shortlisted for more Power Five coaching.
The mountaineers are more in a rebuild mode. In year 2 – or, in practice, year 0.5 – coach Neal Brown did a great job of getting this program to at least the middle level of the Big 12 rankings. West Virginia is led by a strong defense that has been the Big 12’s best unit for most of the year. But the offense was hit or missed, mostly plagued by sketchy offensive line play and wide receiver.
These two programs have actually played three times in their history, but the most recent game was in 1961 where West Virginia won 7-3. We can compete with a similar match with the defense in question almost 60 years later. So who wins this showdown? Let’s take a look at the storylines and matches we need to follow before making some expert choices, straight and against the spread below.
Stories
West Virginia: As with any team facing the military, it is important to stop the triple option. You can usually quickly see if a defense is tackling the challenge or not. Three-option teams are going to do one thing, and not many adjustments can be made in the game. Although the defense of the mountaineers was good – they allowed only eight running scores all year – the defense of the option takes eye discipline and good angles. Dante and Darius Stills are forces along the D line and the linebacker unit is solid as well. If West Virginia can win at an early discount, it must be able to win the game.
Army: Holding on to the ball has been a major factor in Army’s success this year. The Black Knights have a turnover margin of 8 in nine wins and -3 in two losses. Nor is it always a struggle that is costly, and that is what you would think with a team running just as much as the military. Two interceptions played a role in Army’s worst performance of the year: a 38-12 loss to Tulane. Three gimmicks were almost too expensive in a one-point victory over Georgia Southern. If Army is going to achieve its 10th victory of the year, it should be good with ball safety.
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Games: Liberty Bowl
Date: Thursday 31 December | Time: 16:00 ET
Location: Liberty Bowl Stadium – Memphis, Tennessee
TV: ESPN | Live stream: fuboTV (Try for free)
Liberty Bowl prediction, select
Last chance:
West Virginia Mountaineers -10
The line for this game started at West Virginia -7.5 and is now down to -7. A hook will give the supporters of the army some breathing space if you want to go along with the distribution. The points total is perhaps the better game. At 41.5, the total is low, but the Army was firmly on the ground and West Virginia’s offense is unreliable. You can sweat it a little, but to feel with the bottom here feels like a solid play. Select: Below 41.5 | West Virginia 24, Army 16
So who wins the army against West Virginia? And which side of the spread hits more than 70 percent of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of West Virginia is spreading back against the Army, all from the advanced model who scored a 56-36 run with his best college soccer football pick this season.