Posted at 9:00 AM ET. Odds are subject to change

Connecticut +8.5 over Army

Fenway Park – Boston, MA

Fenway Bowl

2:15 PM ET. Bowl games are about motivation, context, and emotional residue — and this matchup checks all three boxes. Army is coming off the one game that defines its season: the Army–Navy game. That rivalry isn’t just another date on the schedule; it’s the entire mission. The Black Knights had Navy where they wanted them and still walked away with a one-point loss. That kind of defeat lingers, and historically, teams coming off emotional rivalry heartbreaks struggle to reset for bowl games that feel secondary by comparison.

This game, played at Fenway Park, fits that description for Army. It’s a novelty setting and more of a ceremonial close to the season than a true objective. Army prepares all year for Navy, not for late-December bowl assignments. Asking them to regroup mentally, then go win by margin, is a tall order — especially given how they’re built.

Army’s identity revolves around ball control, the run game, and shortening contests. That style is excellent for keeping games close but notoriously poor for creating separation. Winning by multiple possessions requires efficiency and explosive scoring, and that’s not how Army is designed to operate. Even when the Black Knights win, they typically do so by grinding opponents down rather than blowing them out.

Connecticut, meanwhile, enters this game with a very different mindset. For the Huskies, this is an opportunity — not an obligation. Playing essentially in their backyard, with Fenway less than two hours from campus, UConn should have strong support and full engagement. This program has spent years on the fringes of relevance, and bowl games like this represent a chance to validate progress.

More importantly, Connecticut brings offensive firepower that Army simply doesn’t want to deal with. The Huskies average nearly 460 yards of offense per game and score over 37 points per contest. That’s not a typo. If UConn moves the ball the way it’s capable of, Army will be forced out of its comfort zone — something the Black Knights rarely handle well.

The question isn’t whether Connecticut can hang around. It’s whether Army can survive. Given the emotional letdown, stylistic mismatch, and motivation gap, that’s far from a sure thing. With points in hand and a live offense capable of trading blows, Connecticut is not only a strong cover candidate — they’re live to win outright. We’ll take the points

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