Louisiana Tech vs Army Predictions | Independence Bowl Betting Preview For 12/28/24

Alamo Bowl Betting Preview

After previously slated to play Marshall, Army will now take on Louisiana Tech after the Thundering Herd were unable to field a team for this bowl game. How will the Bulldogs fare as a double-digit underdog? Read below to Get an Independence Bowl betting preview!

GoldSheet – The country’s longest-running sports betting newsletter – shares its thoughts on the matchup between the Bulldogs and Black Knights.

Independence Bowl Details: Louisiana Tech vs Army

Date:	December 28, 2024
Time:	9:15 PM ET / 6:15 PM PT
Location:	Independence Stadium in Shreveport, LA
TV:	ESPN
Spread & Total:	Army -14 | O/U 44.5

Independence Bowl odds above courtesy of DraftKings as of 10:00am ET on Friday, December 27

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Independence Bowl Betting Trends

Army went 8-5 against the spread this season. The Knights opened the season with six-straight point spread covers, but went 2-5 against the number to close the year.

The opposite is true in Rushton where Louisiana Tech ended the season on a 5-0 ATS run. The Bulldogs are searching for their first bowl win since the 2019 Independence Bowl.

Independence Bowl Analysis

Louisiana Tech took this game on short notice after Marshall was unable to field a roster. Since 2013, service academies have gone 15-3 straight-up and against the spread in bowl games (Courtesy Stuckey from The Action Network).

Why is that? Because coaches are using those 15 extra bowl practices to work on things that they feel are necessary for next season, not defending an offensive attack they will not see again for the foreseeable future.

Louisiana Tech does not play the service academies on a regular basis. Prior to arriving in Rushton, Sonny Cumbie’s entire coaching career was spent in the Big XII at Texas Tech and TCU where he never saw triple-option football.

Defensive coordinator Jeremiah Johnson came from the FCS ranks at Northern Iowa. Defensive line coach Jacori Greer comes from Texas State, where he never saw triple-option football.

Louisiana Tech is expected to be without three starters on defense (two opt-outs and an injury). How prepared is this team going to be from a defensive standpoint? We’re going to focus on the first half over for a couple reasons.

Independence Bowl Prediction

First, we already laid out why Louisiana Tech probably is not properly prepared to slow down Army’s attack.

Second, if the Bulldogs do have some new, intriguing angles on offense, they are likely going to show them early and not wait until the third quarter.

Finally, Louisiana Tech did help Army out by accepting this game and giving the Knights a proper end to the season.

If Army does have a comfortable lead in the second half, you would imagine that the Knights take their foot off the gas a little bit as a sign of appreciation.

Independence Bowl Prediction: 1H Over 21.5

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