Navy Midshipmen Predicted To Beat Oklahoma Sooners in Armed Forces Bowl

The Navy Midshipmen have been predicted to end the 2024 campaign on a high note against the Oklahoma Sooners.

Dec 14, 2024; Landover, Maryland, USA; Navy Midshipmen tight end Cody Howard (83) celebrates a touchdown against the Army Black Knights by quarterback Blake Horvath (11) during the second half of the the 125th Army-Navy game at Northwest Stadium. / Danny Wild-Imagn Images

The 2024 college football season was a very successful one for the Navy Midshipmen.

After finishing with a losing record in four straight campaigns and five out of the last six, they were able to get back on track in Year 2 of Brian Newberry’s tenure as head coach.

The Midshipmen have won nine games to this point, including the Commander-in-Chief’s trophy with a victory over Army West Point Black Knights in their annual rivalry game.

The number of victories already makes this one of the best seasons in program history. They have reached this mark only 17 other times in 131 total campaigns, with the most recent time being in 2019.

This was also the first time since that year that the Midshipmen were ranked at any point during the year. They cracked the AP Top 25 after starting 5-0 and moved up to No. 24 after defeating the Charlotte 49ers to move to 6-0.

That was the last time they were ranked, as Notre Dame ended their undefeated season the following week. A loss to the Rice Owls the following week was a disappointment, along with a 35-0 loss to the Tulane Green Wave just a few weeks later.

Despite that tough stretch, this was still a very successful year for Navy. But, their work is not done yet.

They earned a trip to the Armed Forces Bowl, where they will be facing the Oklahoma Sooners. The SEC representatives had an underwhelming season and enter the bowl matchup incredibly shorthanded with starting quarterback Jackson Arnold having entered the transfer portal along with several players on that side of the ball.

That is as big of a reason as any that Adam Rittenberg of ESPN has predicted that the Midshipmen will pull off the upset, winning the game 24-20.

“Sooners coach Brent Venables is trying to avoid his second 6-7 season in three years, ahead of a pivotal 2025 campaign. Oklahoma's defensive opt-outs are worth watching, and there are more guarantees on the Navy side.”

When healthy this season, Navy quarterback Blake Horvath has been a one-man wrecking crew for the Navy offense. He steamrolled Army in their annual rivalry game, throwing for 107 yards and two scores while carrying the ball 24 times for 196 yards and two more scores.

He finished the regular season with 1,261 passing yards, throwing for 13 touchdowns and only four interceptions with 1,091 yards and 15 scores on the ground.

That reliability is what will separate the Midshipmen in this contest as they have more of their regulars suiting up for the contest.