Army vs. Navy

East Rutherford, New Jersey Saturday, 3 p.m. ET, CBS Tipico Sportsbook line: Army by 61⁄2

College football’s regular season concludes again with the Army-Navy showdown, contested this year at MetLife Stadium. It is meeting No. 122 in the sport’s most storied rivalries. Navy still holds the overall series lead 61-53-7, largely due to the Midshipmen’s 14-year winning streak from 2002-2015. The Black Knights, however, took last year’s encounter 15-0 and appear to be entering this season’s meeting in a better position. Army comes in 8-3 and has already secured its place in the Armed Forces Bowl. The Black Knights can secure the Commander-inChief’s Trophy outright with a win here, having downed Air Force 21-14 last month. Navy, at 3-8, has endured a second consecutive disappointing campaign, though the Mids have been playing better down the stretch. They rolled past Temple 38-14 in their last outing and lost on a last-second field goal to bowl-bound East Carolina the week before.

There won’t be many secrets between the teams, as they’re well accustomed to running and defending the option. Navy has become more efficient as QB Tai Lavatai has grown more comfortable in his decision making. FB Isaac Ruoss is the workhorse on the inside, and veteran SB Chance Warren provides the home-run threat. Black Knights QB Christian Anderson’s main weapons in the ground game are speedster Tyrell Robinson and power back Jakobi Buchanan. Names to know on the defensive side include Black Knights LB Arik Smith and Midshipmen LB Diego Fagot.

Prediction: You’ve heard all the cliches – throw out the records, anything can happen. But while Navy is assuredly in a better position than the September version of the team, the more polished Black Knights will be ready.