The Navy Midshipmen and the Cincinnati Bearcats play in the Liberty Bowl on January 2, 2026.

The Midshipmen are expected to win by at least a touchdown (currently -7.5) against the Bearcats. The over/under for this matchup is 55.5 points.

Read on for our betting preview for this this game between the Midshipmen and the Bearcats, and uncover all of our expert picks here, too!

Navy vs. Cincinnati betting lines

• Spread favorite: Midshipmen (-7.5)
• Moneyline: Midshipmen (-297), Bearcats (+240)
• Total: 55.5 points
• TV Channel: ESPN
• Live Stream: Fubo

Navy vs. Cincinnati betting info and stats

Navy has a 4-8-0 record against the spread this season. Navy has covered the spread in two games when the favorite by at least 7.5 points (a 2-5 ATS record). Navy has won seven of its seven games played when favored on the moneyline this season. Cincinnati is 6-6-0 against the spread in 12 opportunities this season. Cincinnati has not covered the spread in games it was the underdog by at least 7.5 points (0-1). In the five games this year, Cincinnati has been moneyline underdogs, it is 1-4.

Navy vs. Cincinnati recent stats and trends

Navy Midshipmen

• Navy is 2-1 against the spread over its last three games, and has a 3-0 straight-up record in those matchups.
• Navy and its opponents have combined to hit the over one time in those games.
• The past three Navy games averaged 2.7 fewer points (52.8) than this matchup’s over/under.

Cincinnati Bearcats

• Cincinnati has not covered a spread (0-3) while going 3-0 overall in its past three games.
• The final combined score of the last three Cincinnati games went over the set total one time.
• The past three Cincinnati games averaged 1.7 more points (57.2) than this matchup’s point total.

Navy vs. Cincinnati key players

Navy Midshipmen

• Blake Horvath leads Navy with 1,472 yards (133.8 ypg) on 88-of-144 passing with 10 touchdowns and six interceptions this season. He also has 1,147 rushing yards on 208 carries while scoring 15 touchdowns on the ground.
• Alex Tecza has piled up 822 yards on 142 attempts, scoring nine times.
• Eli Heidenreich’s leads his squad with 877 yards as a receiver. He’s racked up that yardage on 46 receptions (out of 71 targets) and scored five touchdowns.
• Brandon Chatman has put together a 158-yard season so far, hauling in 16 passes on 23 targets.
• Cody Howard’s four receptions have turned into 128 yards and one touchdown.
• Landon Robinson has racked up 6.0 sacks to lead the team, while also picking up 5.0 TFL and 37 tackles.
• MarcAnthony Parker is the team’s tackle leader this year. He’s picked up 51 tackles, 1.0 TFL, two sacks, and one interception.
• Phillip Hamilton has a team-leading three interceptions to go along with 25 tackles and five passes defended.

Cincinnati Bearcats

• Brendan Sorsby has thrown for 2,786 yards on 206-of-335 passing with 26 touchdowns and five interceptions this season. He has chipped on the ground, as well, with 580 yards and nine rushing touchdowns.
• The team’s top rusher, Tawee Walker, has carried the ball 120 times for 709 yards (59.1 per game) with four touchdowns.
• Cyrus Allen paces his team with 651 receiving yards on 48 receptions with 11 touchdowns.
• Caleb Goodie has put up a 484-yard season so far with two touchdowns. He’s caught 29 passes on 54 targets.
• Jeff Caldwell’s 57 targets have resulted in 32 receptions for 478 yards and six touchdowns.
• Jake Golday leads the team with 3.5 sacks. He’s also the team’s tackle leader, and has racked up 3.0 TFL and 88 tackles.
• Matthew McDoom has picked off a team-leading one pass. He also has 39 tackles and one pass defended to his name.