Army vs Temple Prediction, Odds, Picks Today: College Football Week 4

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The Army Black Knights take on the Temple Owls in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Friday, Sept. 25. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Army is favored by -3.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -156. Temple, meanwhile, enters as a +3.5 underdog and is +130 on the moneyline to pull off the upset. The over/under sits at 48.5 total points.

Here’s my Army vs. Temple prediction and college football pick for Friday, September 25.

My Temple vs. Army best bet is on the Black Knights to lead at halftime. Find the best line available on our live NCAAF odds page, and download the Action Network app for more picks and analysis.

Army vs Temple Odds, Line, Spread

• Army vs Temple Spread: Army -3.5, Temple +3.5
• Army vs Temple Over/Under: 47.5 Total Points
• Army vs Temple Moneyline: Army ML -180, Temple ML +150

Army comes in 1-1 and fresh off a bye week with two weeks to think about how they gave their last game away against South Florida on Sept. 12.

The Black Knights held a 10-point lead with five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, having held South Florida to 210 total yards up to that point. A pair of Bulls touchdown drives sandwiching an Army three-and-out rewrote the game’s storyline.

The Cadets will now look to regroup on the road in what should be a must-win game in American Conference play.

Army’s ground game has been effective so far, averaging 7.3 yards per attempt and 394 rushing yards through the first two contests.

Godspower Nwawuihe has been the power back, while Zach Mundell is averaging 21 yards per rush. Cale Hellums also consistently gains yardage on every carry.

The sweep-and-pitch game is working well, and Hellums threw the ball well against South Florida. The offensive line created surge at the line of scrimmage, and the offense was effective.

The Army defense played well for long stretches against South Florida. The Knights’ stop unit had several fourth-down chances to get South Florida off the field and failed on all of them.

The defensive line created very little Havoc, but the linebacker unit, led by Elijah Walton and Jaquavious Moss, was all over the field.

Walton and Moss combined for 19 tackles, as Army did a good job of preventing explosive plays until the final drive of the game.

This unit will be fresh off a bye week with two weeks to prepare, while Temple is coming off a heartbreaking loss on Saturday.

Temple has been in back-to-back high-pressure games, and I think it’s fair to ask how much this team has left in the tank.

After hosting Penn State and playing the Nittany Lions very competitively for a half, Temple was at Toledo last week and blew a 42-28 lead by allowing two touchdowns in the final 65 seconds before falling in overtime.

Quarterback Jaxon Smolik went down early with an injury and is questionable for Friday afternoon’s contest. Backup QB Ajani Sheppard completed 12-of-22 passes for 164 yards and three touchdowns in relief of Smolik.

Temple ran the ball effectively against Toledo, just as it has all season behind a great one-two punch of Keveun Mason and Sam Brown V.

These two have combined for 392 yards and four touchdowns, while Sheppard adds a great running element out of the quarterback position.

A go-to receiver needs to emerge, as no one has more than seven catches this season for the Owls. But overall, this offense has been efficient and effective.

Situational execution has improved, as Temple is converting 42% on third down and is a perfect 10-for-10 in scoring while in the red zone.

The Owls defense has been the issue the last two weeks, specifically in the second half of their game against Toledo. The Rockets were held to just 14 points in the first half before scoring on the opening possession of the third quarter and three times in the fourth.

Temple gave up 429 passing yards and allowed seven explosive pass plays. Now, it has to face Army’s option scheme while deflated after blowing a big lead. It will also have significantly less rest and prep time. Tough assignment.

This line has Army as a 3-point favorite, and the total comes in at 48.5. I am going to take the Black Knights on the moneyline in the first half at -130.

Army is a physical team that will run the ball against this Temple defense, which is trying to prep for the triple option on just five days of rest.

Last year, Temple did a decent job against Army in preventing explosive plays and defending the scheme well, but that game came with a caveat. That game marked the second time Temple had prepped for a service academy, as the Owls had played Navy just a few weeks prior.

Trying to install an option principle defense on short rest against a team that has been off for 13 days will be a tall order for the Owls.

Army head coach Jeff Monken talked in his press conference about situational execution and how his team had chances to close out that game against South Florida and blew it. The Knights have been sitting around thinking about it all week, and I fully expect them to come out and execute, specifically in the first half.

I love the running back play I have seen. Mundell’s explosiveness and versatility are going to show up on Friday.

This game is going to be played at 4 p.m. in Philadelphia, and there probably won’t be a lot of people attending. The atmosphere won’t get Temple overly “jacked up,” and I worry about the Owls coming out flat after blowing their game against Toledo.

Army is tremendously motivated in a must-win situation, as the Black Knights can’t afford to drop to 0-2 in league play. I think they win this game, but I really think we get a strong start. Army will have a halftime lead.

Pick: Army 1H ML (-130 · BetMGM)

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