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The Army Black Knights take on the Tulsa Golden Hurricane in Tulsa, Okla. Kickoff is set for 8:30 p.m. EDT on ESPN2.
Tulsa is favored by -1.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -120. The total is set at 53.5 points.
Here’s my Army vs. Tulsa prediction and college football pick for Friday, October 23, 2026.
Army vs Tulsa Prediction
- Army vs. Tulsa Pick: Tulsa Moneyline (-110) | Tulsa Team Total Over 27.5 Points
My Tulsa vs. Army best bet is on the Golden Hurricane moneyline and the team total over. Find the best line available on our live NCAAF odds page and be sure to download the Action Network app for more picks and analysis.
Army vs Tulsa Odds
| Army Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+1.5 -110 | 53.5 -112o / -108u | +100 |
| Tulsa Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-1.5 -110 | 53.5 -112o / -108u | -120 |
- Army vs Tulsa point spread: Tulsa -1.5 (-110 ), Army +1.5 (-110)
- Army vs Tulsa over/under: 53.5 (-112o / -108u)
- Army vs Tulsa moneyline: Army +100, Tulsa -120
Army vs Tulsa College Football Preview
Army Black Knights Betting Preview: Hellums Leads Heavy Rushing Volume
Army comes off a pair of big wins over Tulane and Florida Atlantic in the last couple of weeks. The ground attack has posted its two best outings of the season, but the toughest stretch of the season awaits. Army has back-to-back road trips at Tulsa and Memphis before hosting Air Force prior to the bye week.
While the rushing attack has looked strong, Army has faced weaker defenses this season, and the defense remains very weak compared to prior seasons. I am not confident that Army will keep its opponents from moving the ball, and these next three games will be a great indicator of how successful this season will ultimately be.
Everyone knows what is coming with the Army rushing offense. Quarterback Cale Hellums has more carries this season than any three Army ball carriers put together, and he leads the team with 719 rushing yards and 13 rushing touchdowns.
Samari Howard and Godspower Nwawuihe have also provided consistency on the ground, combining for 567 rushing yards, with each scoring a pair of rushing touchdowns. Jake Rendina has been less involved this year in the B-back role, garnering just 4.6 rushing attempts per game.
Army has seemingly abandoned any serious attempts to throw the ball outside of trailing by multiple scores in its last road game against Louisiana Tech earlier this month.
The Army defense is not overly strong, and the team has struggled getting stops against competent offenses. The performance has been especially bad on the road, where Louisiana Tech and Temple have combined for 962 yards while averaging 8.8 yards per snap. The defensive line is generating very little pressure on opposing quarterbacks and has made only 12 tackles behind the line of scrimmage in five games against FBS competition.
I do not expect growth from the defense at this point in the season, as the Knights grade out as the worst defensive team in the AAC and Army is the third-worst in team tackling grades, per PFF.
Tulsa Golden Hurricane Betting Preview: Hayes Sparks Solid Offense
Tulsa put together a great 60-minute game in a 38-17 road win over Rice last week. The Golden Hurricane were in an early 10-0 hole and also down 17-7 with 10 minutes left in the second quarter. From that point on, Rice was held scoreless and amassed just 145 total yards as Tulsa outscored the Owls 31-0 the rest of the way.
Tulsa is much better than its record would indicate, and the margin for error is zero if this team is to get back into the AAC conference race, something I believe it can do.
The offense looked really good last week against Rice, as quarterback Baylor Hayes completed 20/27 passes for 249 yards and three touchdowns. Hayes has thrown for 1,081 yards this season, with eight passing touchdowns, seven of which came in the last three weeks.
The ground attack has been a little jerky, but there is talent in the running back room, and the offensive line should find success in paving the rushing lanes this week. Damari Alston and Trequan Jones will get the majority of the carries, and these two have combined to rush for 692 yards and nine rushing touchdowns. I expect a great offensive showing here against Army.
The defense continues to try to recapture the magic we saw in the opener against Oklahoma State, but Tulsa did tighten the clamps last week against Rice. The last seven Owl drives failed to produce points, and the rush defense played well enough to hold Rice to just two explosive rushes, which accounted for half of the team’s rushing output. The other 52 rushing attempts generated just 169 total rushing yards.
This is the third consecutive week that Tulsa has had to prepare for an option-style offense, and this defense should be well-prepped for a heavy dose of QB run after seeing it two weeks in a row.
Army vs Tulsa Pick, Betting Analysis
This line opened as a true pick 'em, with Tulsa at +105 on the moneyline at one point in the openers. The line sits at Tulsa -1.5 with a total set at 54.5. I like Tulsa to win this game and will take them on the money line at -110. A secondary play I have made is for Tulsa to exceed its team total of 27.5.
The Army defense has been terrible this season despite the team holding a 4-2 overall record. This is concerning, as the offenses faced have not been overly dominant, but USF, Louisiana Tech, and Temple were able to go up and down the field on this stop unit with very little resistance. Army is not going to register pressure or activity behind the line of scrimmage; they haven’t all season while ranking 123rd nationally in defensive havoc.
The more concerning aspect of the defense has been the explosiveness it has allowed, both on the ground and in the air. Tulsa has a much more potent passing offense than most of the opponents Army has faced this season, and I am not sure the secondary can hold up in coverage against Oran Singleton, Javon Ross and David Wells, the top three Golden Hurricane receivers.
Hayes has thrown the ball brilliantly since returning from injury, and the explosive plays are coming for Tulsa in this game. This should open up the ground attack, as Army is allowing explosive plays at a rate that ranks them 127th nationally in surrendered explosiveness on defense.
Army is going to have some level of success on the ground in this game; it would be foolish to assume otherwise. Tulsa should be prepared to defend the scheme, however, as the Hurricanes have been in option-principle defense mode for the past three weeks. Many of the players and coaching staff saw this attack firsthand last year, and Tulsa defended it well in a game the Hurricanes won 26-25.
The defensive line is going to take away what Army wants to do best and make the Knights uncomfortable, forcing them to convert on situations worse than “3rd and medium”. Army is not going to get away with completing 1-2 passes here and staying in this game, so watch for the Knights to have to do things they are not accustomed to doing in order to keep drives alive.
Tulsa is the better football team, and this team appears to have conquered its demons (blowing double-digit second-half leads). The matchup is great for the Tulsa offense, and the Tulsa defense should rise to the occasion and make enough stops to secure a win for the Golden Hurricane.
Pick: Tulsa Moneyline (-110) | Tulsa Team Total Over 27.5 Points
