Armed Forces Bowl Prediction and Preview: Houston vs. Army

Houston Cougars and Army West Point Black Knights are going to play in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl on Saturday. Houston lost three of its last four games, including a 52-31 loss to Memphis in their regular-season finale. Army has won eight straight games and secured the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy.

Houston and Army are playing in the Armed Forces Bowl. The defense of Army is ranked ninth in FBS, while Houston's is 124th. Houston allowed 34.4 points per game, whereas Army allowed 17. 4 points on average. Ed Oliver will not play in this game to focus on the NFL draft. He will play for Houston in next year's bowl. It is the first time the team has played in a bowl since the 1996 Armed forces Bowl, which Houston won.

Houston has struggled to stop opponents' passing attacks. Army's passing offense is much better. Houston quarterback D'Eriq King is out of the Armed Forces Bowl with a knee injury. The Cougars are expected to start freshman Clayton Tune.  Army quarterback Kelvin Hopkins Jr. is one of college football's top rushing quarterbacks.

Both Army and Houston have found success on third down. Army's rushing offense helped set up third-and-short situations regularly. Houston's offense is well-balanced and well balanced. Only one defense was consistently able to get off the field on the third downs.

Houston is playing in the Armed Forces Bowl. The Cougars are without D'Eriq King and have a rash of injuries along the defensive line. Army has a potent triple-option offense. Houston is the more talented team. The game will be played in Fort Worth. It is played against a team with many players from Texas. They are expected to dominate time of possession. However, Houston should be able to pull off a minor upset.