The Oklahoma Sooners and Navy Midshipmen will clash in a battle of wagons and boats in the Armed Forces Bowl. Oklahoma enters the game off a disappointing first year in the SEC, finishing 6-6 and barely achieving bowl eligibility.
While the Sooners’ season as a whole was disappointing, it did include the high point of knocking off Alabama 24-3 in the final home game of the season. That 21-point victory was likely the deciding factor in keeping the Crimson Tide out of the College Football Playoff, so there’s some pride to be taken in that.
As for Navy, it had an excellent start to the season, winning their first six games, but things went downhill following a 51-14 loss to Notre Dame. Still, while the Midshipmen missed out on a conference title and a possible playoff berth, they beat rival Army, and knocking off Oklahoma would be a tremendous accomplishment and excellent way to end the year.
Oklahoma vs. Navy: Need to know
This won’t be the Sooners team you saw during the season: The transfer portal and opt-outs make bowl games a bit of a crapshoot, and Oklahoma is a perfect example of that this year. In short, we have no idea what to expect of the Sooners. Quarterback Jackson Arnold is the biggest name to hit the portal, but he’s far from alone; the number of Sooners to hit the portal has hit double digits as of publication.
Navy is making its third appearance in the game: Considering its the Armed Forces Bowl, it should come as no surprise that a service academy has made multiple appearances. However, Navy’s third appearance in the game only moves it up to a tie for fourth-most appearances with Tulsa. Air Force leads the way with seven while Army is third with four. The team in second? It’s Houston, which has appeared in the game five times. Navy is 1-1 in its first two appearances, beating Middle Tennessee in 2013 but losing to Louisiana Tech in 2016.
It’s the first time these teams have played in nearly 60 years: Way back in 1965, Navy beat Oklahoma 10-0, and the Sooners have had to sit and stew in the loss the entire time. Finally, Oklahoma gets its chance at revenge! The Sooners are also looking for their first ever win against Navy; that 1965 meeting is the only time these two have played. The Sooners are 5-1 against Army and Air Force, so a win here would give them at least one victory against every service academy.
How to watch Armed Forces Bowl live
Date: Friday, December 27 | Time: 12 p.m. ET
Location: Amon G. Carter Stadium — Fort Worth, Texas
TV: ESPN | Live stream: Fubo (Try for free)
Armed Forces Bowl prediction, picks
Nobody likes to face an option team. It’s tough to prepare for, and physically it just isn’t fun to get chop-blocked repeatedly and then smacked in the face with a battering ram. Toss in the fact that Oklahoma will be missing so many key players, and that this isn’t exactly a top-tier bowl game, and it’s easy to wonder how motivated the Sooners will be for this one. We know Navy will be. It’s a chance to beat Oklahoma. Pick: Navy +3
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