Overview
- Kickoff is Friday at 4:30 p.m. EST at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium in Memphis for No. 22 Navy vs. Cincinnati.
- Cincinnati arrives on a four-game skid and without at least a dozen players, including RB Tawee Walker and defensive standouts Jake Golday and Dontay Corleone, with four starting defensive backs departing via the portal.
- Navy reports no opt-outs or transfer losses and leads the nation in rushing at 289.3 yards per game behind QB Blake Horvath (1,147 rushing yards, 15 TDs) and RB Alex Tecza.
- Bearcats quarterbacks Brady Lichtenberg and Samaj Jones have combined for four game appearances and eight passes this season, placing added pressure on an intact offensive line led by Evan Tengesdahl and Gavin Gerhardt.
- Sportsbooks list Navy around -7.5 and a predictive model gives the Midshipmen a 59% win probability, with recent bowls showing service academies on a seven-game winning run since 2021.