USA TODAY Sports Weekly

Go with Montana, Albany straight up

- Daniel Dobish

Sportsbook Wire

Top wagering picks for college football Week 15 based on lines from BetMGM Sportsbook unless specified. Picks for FCS games are straight up with no lines available at press time.

Navy (5-6) vs. Army (5-6)

The Midshipmen and Black Knights play America’s Game at a new location this season, Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachuse­tts. Army rolls in with three straight wins, and covers in two of the past three outings. That run includes a 23-3 outright win against Air Force, so a Black Knights win will mean securing the Commander-in-Chief ’s Trophy outright for the first time since 2020. Navy was pounded 59-14 at SMU last time out, and it has won just twice in the past five games, while going 3-5 against the spread in the past eight outings. Army is the play in what should be a low-scoring game.

Pick: Army (-2.5)

Furman (10-2) at Montana (11-1)

The Paladins of Furman travel to Missoula, Montana, for an FCS quarterfinal round playoff game on Dec. 8. Furman, the seventh-seeded team in the FCS playoffs, topped Chattanoog­a 26-7 in the second round at home, covering as 6.5-point favorites as the Under (42.5) connected. Meanwhile, the Grizzlies, the second-seeded team, worked over Delaware 49-19 to easily cover a 17.5-point spread while taking care of the Over (47.5) all on its own. Furman has two losses this season (at South Carolina and at Wofford). Montana has won eight straight games, including wins by 24 or more points in each of the past five. The Grizzlies have the second-shortest odds behind South Dakota State (via FanDuel) to win the FCS championsh­ip.

Pick: Montana

Albany (10-3) at Idaho (9-3)

The Great Danes, the fifth-seeded team in the FCS playoffs, rolled past Richmond last week by a 41-13 count, easily covering the 7-point number

against the Spiders. RB Griffin Woodell led the way with 96 rushing yards and a score, while QB Reese Poffenbarger threw for two touchdowns and he ran for two others. UAlbany is on a six-game winning streak, winning each of those outings by 16 or more points. Two of the team’s losses were against FBS foes, including a 21-17 near-miss at Marshall in September. The Great Danes face a daunting task, though, in the fourthseed­ed Vandals at the Kibbie Dome in Moscow, Idaho. The Vandals beat Southern Illinois 20-17, although Idaho failed to cover the small number. Things should be equally tight for this Dec. 9 game and Albany is slightly hotter.

Pick: Albany

North Dakota State (10-3) at South Dakota (10-2)

The Bison had to play their way in through the first round, belting Drake 66-3 at the Fargodome on Nov. 25. After making it to the second round, NDSU went to Bozeman, Montana, and took out the sixth-seeded team, Montana State, by a 35-34 score in overtime, pulling off the mild upset as the Over (57.5) cashed. Meanwhile, South Dakota took care of Sacramento State by a 34-24 score to cover as 6.5-point favorites as the Over (50.5) connected. Now, the Bison gets a chance at revenge after falling to the Coyotes in Fargo on Sept. 30, as SDU cashed as a 19-point underdog in the Missouri Valley Football Conference opener. This should be a higher-scoring affair than the first meeting.

Pick: Over

 ?? DARRYL OUMI/GETTY IMAGES ?? Griffin Woodell and Albany lost to two FBS teams by a combined 15 points.
DARRYL OUMI/GETTY IMAGES Griffin Woodell and Albany lost to two FBS teams by a combined 15 points.

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