Army vs. Lehigh prediction, odds: 2024 college football expert picks, Week 1 best bets from proven expert

The Lehigh Mountain Hawks travel to take on the Army Black Knights to get the Friday college football schedule underway in Week 1. Lehigh went 2-9 last season and is seeking its first win over an FBS opponent since beating Buffalo in 2002. Army, meanwhile, went 6-6 last season and has a 16-game win streak against FCS opponents. After appearing in five bowl games between 2016 and 2021, the Black Knights have missed the postseason the past two years.

Kickoff in West Point, N.Y. is set for 6 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network. Army is favored by 31.5 points in the Army vs. Lehigh odds, while the over/under is 46.5. Before making any Lehigh vs. Army picks, you need to see the Week 1 college football predictions and betting advice from SportsLine's Eric Cohen .

A former Phoenix sports radio host and TV analyst, Eric joined SportsLine in 2022 and quickly became a fixture on the "Early Edge," the popular daily betting show that airs at 10 a.m. ET on SportsLine's YouTube page. Specializing in college sports, EC went 39-23 ATS (+13.65 units) in the 2023 college football season. Anybody following saw big returns.

Now, Cohen has zeroed in on Army vs. Lehigh and just revealed his picks and predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see his picks . Here are the college football odds and betting lines for Lehigh vs. Army:

• Army vs. Lehigh spread: Army -31.5
• Army vs. Lehigh over/under: 46.5 points
• Army vs. Lehigh picks: See picks at SportsLine

Why Army can cover

The Black Knights have rolled against FCS competition, winning 16 straight games. They have averaged 44.4 points per game and given up just 10.6 in that span, so covering this large number feels very feasible.

Army returns quarterback Bryson Daily and several key running backs and should have one of the most prolific rushing attacks in the nation. Daily ranked fifth in the nation in QB rushing last season and he threw for more than 1,800 yards, giving Army some degree of dual-threat element. See which team to pick here .

Why Lehigh can cover

Lehigh struggled last season but does bring back a lot of experience. Leading rusher Luke Yoder returns along with four of the top five receivers. Seven of the eight leading tacklers are also back on defense. Army, meanwhile, returns just three defensive starters from last year's team.

History says that this large number will be tough to cover as well. Since 1978, Lehigh has faced 10 FBS opponents and only one of them has won by more than 33 points. See which team to pick here .

How to make Lehigh vs. Army picks

Cohen is leaning Over on the total, projecting 55 combined points. He has also discovered a critical X-factor that has him jumping all over one side of the spread. He's only sharing what it is, and which side to back, at SportsLine .

So who wins Army vs. Lehigh, and what critical X-factor makes one side of the spread a must back? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread to jump on, all from the expert who finished last season on a 39-23 roll on CFB ATS picks , and find out.