Army (1-1) heads to Philadelphia to face Temple (1-2) on Friday, September 25. Kickoff at Lincoln Financial Field is set for 4 p.m. ET on ESPN, with both teams trying to recover from narrow defeats.

The Black Knights had a bye after losing 28-24 to South Florida. The Owls have a quicker turnaround following a 49-48 overtime loss at Toledo, where a failed two-point conversion ended their comeback bid in the extra period.

My Army vs Temple prediction weighs that rest advantage against a home offense that found its running game last week. Below, I break down the spread and total before comparing the latest odds.

I am taking the points with Temple. Getting more than a field goal matters in a matchup where Army can drain several minutes on one possession. A three-point Black Knights win would still cash this spread, and I expect the Owls to keep it competitive.

Temple rushed for 261 yards at Toledo, with Samuel Brown supplying 109 on 15 carries. He scored twice on the ground and once as a receiver. Quarterback Ajani Sheppard added 66 rushing yards and a touchdown, giving the Owls another way to sustain drives.

Army presents a different test. Godspower Nwawuihe carried 20 times for 94 yards against USF, and the Black Knights held the ball for 35:46. Temple needs to avoid giving up easy gains on early downs that leave Army with manageable third downs.

The encouraging part for the home underdog is that Toledo managed only 107 rushing yards. The concern is the 429 passing yards Temple allowed. Cale Hellums threw just 10 passes in Army’s last game, but completed nine, including two touchdowns. I would not dismiss the play-action threat.

Army’s extra preparation time is the strongest argument against my pick. Still, I prefer Temple with the extra half-point to asking the road favorite to create separation. I would reassess if the spread dropped to +3 rather than treating those numbers as interchangeable.