All of a sudden, the race to the American Athletic Conference Championship is wide open.
Tulane’s upset of Memphis in Week 7 completely shook up the standings and opened the door for plenty of other contenders to gatecrash the party.
Army (4-2, 3-1) could stand to benefit from Memphis’ demise.
The Black Knights have a crucial game against Tulsa (4-3, 1-2) at H.A. Chapman Stadium on Friday night.
The Golden Hurricane are a 1.5-point favorite in this make-or-break clash.
Army vs. Tulsa odds, picks
Handicapping Army games isn’t complicated. You start with a foundational question: Can their opponents slow down Cale Hellums and the Black Knights’ triple-option attack?
Hellums has racked up 719 yards on 129 carries (5.6 average) and has already scored 13 touchdowns this season. Those numbers shouldn’t come as a surprise, as the Tomball, Texas native rushed for 1,223 yards and 18 scores on 304 carries (4.0 average) in 2025.
Hellums is the focal point for Army, and he’s going to be attacking a defense that has been pretty poor at stopping the run.
Tulsa ranks 123rd in FBS in rushing yards allowed per game, and they are 88th in yards conceded per rush attempt (4.4).
The Golden Hurricane could benefit from the fact that they just saw Navy’s triple-option 13 days ago, but they allowed the Midshipmen to rack up 386 yards on the ground on 67 attempts, good enough for 5.8 yards per rush.
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The Army defense has been leaky, but Hellums and the offense should be able to keep them fresh with long, punishing drives against a team that seems ill-equipped to handle what the Black Knights will throw (or really run) at them.
Back Hellums and the Black Knights to keep their AAC hopes alive with a win in the Capital of Route 66 on Friday night.
The Play: Army moneyline (+100, bet365)
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Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.
