2023 Commander-in-Chief's Trophy Odds: Falcons Set to Defend Hardware

Usually when we're talking about college football odds for the service academies, we are talking about Unders in the head-to-head matchups. But this season oddsmakers are giving us an extra offering by posting NCAAF odds for who will win the Commander-in-Chief Trophy.

The Air Force Falcons enter the 2023 college football season season as the holders of the hallowed hardware and are the betting favorites to retain it over service academy rivals the Navy Midshipmen and the Army Black Knights.

The Falcons have not defended this service academy series since 2011, and despite being the favorite, beating Army and Navy might not be as easy this time around as they’ll have to replace some key pieces to their offense.

Which triple option team will have the inside track to the Commander-in-Chief Trophy in 2023? Read ahead as I break it all down below. For more NCAAF betting, be sure to also check out our CFP National Championship odds!

2023 Commander in Chief's Trophy odds

Odds via DraftKings as of August 8, 2023.

Road to the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy 

Air Force (+100)

Air Force captured its first Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy for the first time since 2016 by defeating Navy and Army in a pair of close matchups.

The Falcons edged the Midshipmen 13-10 in a game where they were two touchdown favorites, and followed that up with a 13-7 win over the Black Knights as 7-point chalk. It gives you a sense that no matter the spread, these service academy matchups are always close.

This season, Air Force must deal with the departure of two key members of its offense. Quarterback Haaziq Daniels — who started for three seasons — and fullback Brad Roberts, who led the FBS with over 1,700 rushing yards and was the Mountain West Conference Offensive Player of the Year.

If the Falcons want to defend their title, they’ll have to rely on a defense that allowed just 13.4 points per game last season and returns eight starters.

Navy (+170)

Navy dominated this series between 2003 and 2015, winning the Commander-in-Chief Trophy a ridiculous 10 times. But the Midshipmen have only captured it once since (2019), and after a 4-8 record last season... Navy made a change at head coach, moving on from Ken Niumatalolo after 15 years.

In comes Brian Newberry — who was Navy’s defensive coordinator for the last four seasons — but it’s the offense he wants to work on. Newberry is implementing more passing in the Navy’s triple option, similar to what Air Force employs.

The Midshipmen were better than their record last season, with five of their eight losses being by a touchdown or less. They'll also be returning a whopping 17 starters this year. Despite going winless in last season’s series, Navy might be the service academy team to keep an eye on and could present the best value among the bunch.

Army (+450)

Is Army really abandoning the triple option offense? That’s the word out of West Point this year, kind of. Instead of the traditional triple option, Army will use a zone option offense with the QB out of the shotgun. Which in theory, means more passing.

Army has been the most successful of the trio in recent years, earning at least a share of the Commander-in-Chief Trophy in four of the last six seasons. The Black Knights have also won the Army-Navy game in five of the last seven meetings, including a 20-17 victory over the Midshipmen in overtime last season.

Army is coming off a 6-6 season and is returning 17 starters as well. However, the philosophical change on offense and a run defense that allowed 5.0 yards per carry last season has me wondering how the Black Knights will hold up in the series in 2023.

Schedule

The first matchup in the college football service academy series will see Air Force travel to Annapolis to take on Navy on Oct. 21. The Falcons then battle Army at a pseudo-neutral site in Denver on Nov. 4. And the classic Army-Navy matchup will be played on Dec. 9 at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro.

Commander-in-Chief's Trophy explained

The Commander-in-Chief Trophy is awarded to the winner of the college football season series between the three U.S. service academy teams: the Army Black Knights, the Navy Midshipmen, and the Air Force Falcons. It was first awarded in 1972.

If any of the three teams win both of their games in this series in a given year, they will be awarded the Commander-in-Chief Trophy. In the event of a tie, the award is shared, but the previous winner retains physical possession of the trophy.

Understanding Commander-in-Chief's Trophy odds

Sportsbooks will post odds for the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy shortly before the regular season begins. These odds are adjusted throughout the season as players switch teams, show steady improvement, or are injured. Sportsbooks will also adjust the NCAAF odds based on handle and liability to certain teams.

Commander-in-Chief's Trophy odds will usually look like this:

• Army +300

This means that on a $100 bet, you'll stand to win $300 if Army wins the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy. You might see a minus sign (-) ahead of its odds. 

• Navy -180

This means you have to bet $180 to win $100 on a Navy win.

Above we have listed the American odds. However, these are easy to convert to decimal odds or fractional odds with our odds converter tool. And don't forget to check out our NCAAF forum if you're interested in chatting with other basketball bettors about NCAAF odds. 

Commander-in-Chief's Trophy odds trends

Air Force boasts the most wins since the trophy's inception in 1972 with 21. Navy enters the 2023 season with 16 while Army brings up the rear with nine. The trophy has been shared five times.

Past Commander-in-Chief's Trophy winners

Commander-in-Chief's Trophy odds FAQ

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