As September gives way to October, your Army Black Knights will enter the second quarter of their season. We started this Season Preview series last week with a look at the Black Knights’ first three games. This week, we’ll look at the Black Knights’ next three — at Louisiana Tech, Tulane, and Florida Atlantic.

As we noted last week, the would-be betting lines in this article are presented solely for the purpose of explaining expectations for the game. Similarly, remember that FPI weights a team’s conference while SP+ specifically does not. FPI has the goal of predicting which teams will make the College Football Playoff in a process that manifestly tilts towards the Power 4, so weighting by conference makes sense. By comparison, SP+ tries to pick winners in games based on statistics. 

Season Preview: Second Quarter

Week 5: Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (8-5; 5-3 in C-USA) 

Louisiana Tech has played well enough over their last 13 seasons in Conference USA to have been invited to join the Sun Belt in 2026. They bought out of CUSA a year early, and now, well, we’ll see how they do. They finished last season strong, earning their first winning season in four years and then finished by beating a solid Coastal Carolina team in the Independence Bowl. This year, they’ll enter the Sun Belt with Head Coach Sonny Cumbie entering his fifth season and a decent amount of returning production from last year’s team. 

QB Blake Baker returns after tearing his ACL last season. Baker threw for 1251 yards (65.8%) and 5 touchdowns against just 3 interceptions and 8 sacks in 8 games of work last season. Unfortunately, most of the offense’s skill position players have gone, but the Bulldogs return most of their front seven on defense, and that’s not nothing, especially for a defense that put up 21 sacks, 22 interceptions, and 7 forced fumbles in 2025. 

Yes, 22 interceptions is a lot. Six-foot redshirt senior DB Jakari Foster had 8 of them, and it seems he is somehow still on this football team.

FPI: -9.6
SP+: -8.1
Projected Line: Army (-1.6)

Like almost every game on this year’s schedule, the La. Tech game figures to be a nail-biting roller coaster ride. If Baker is indeed healthy after his ACL, the Black Knights will need to hold what promises to be a powerful passing attack in check. Similarly, the Army offense will need to find a way to move the ball against an experienced, mostly returning defense.

As of this writing, no time or network has been announced for this game. It’s scheduled for Saturday, October 3rd. That’s all we know.

𝙅𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙠𝙚𝙚𝙥 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙮𝙨#BarkLouder | #HBTD pic.twitter.com/aXKWIyHptJ

— LA Tech Football 🏈 (@LATechFB) August 15, 2026

Week 6: Tulane (11-3 in 2025; 8-1 in the American)

Despite some inconsistent play from their red zone offense, Tulane proved they had the best team in the American last season, won the conference, and ultimately played their way into the College Football Playoff. Then the coaching staff and most of the players left via the portal, and now, well, anyone that tells you they know what to expect from the Green Wave in 2026 is lying to you.

Tulane hired former Southern Miss Coach Will Hall to be their new Head Coach. Hall had previously served as Tulane’s Offensive Coordinator, so he should at least have some familiarity with the program’s institutional infrastructure. However, that was back in 2019-2020, which was mostly before Tulane became the class of the Group of 6. 

The program returns most of their O-Line this season and should have the makings of a dynamic running game, according to Bill Connelly. However, the team has lost most of its D-Line, though it returns most of its linebacking corps and secondary.

FPI: +2.3
SP+: -5.5
Projected Line: Army (-0.4)

This is one of the biggest disagreements we’ve ever seen between FPI and SP+. FPI is probably overweighting last year’s success because Tulane actually made the Playoff, and FPI is mostly all about the Playoff. But they also have a now perennially successful program with plenty of money, and that matters, too. The real question is, “How much?”

Friends, Army-Tulane is always a close game, and I expect it will be again this season. Good news is that at least the Black Knights will play these guys at home. The game kicks at noon Eastern on CBS Sports.

Zeon called game in Red Zone Lockout! #UptownFootball | #AIE pic.twitter.com/YtHjbpfZjN

— Tulane Football (@GreenWaveFB) August 15, 2026

Week 7: Florida Atlantic (4-8 in 2025; 3-5 in the American)

When Army opened at FAU two years ago, we all thought the Owls might be the new hotness in the American Conference. Somehow, though, despite building a truly dynamic offense, they’ve never quite made it work. But, maybe this will be their year. Head Coach Zach Kittley is entering his second season, and it looks like he’s got a team with a lot of talent.

The Owls have more returning production than any other team in the Group of 6, including QB Caden Veltkamp, arguably the best quarterback in college football outside the Power 4. Veltkamp threw for a whopping 3,641 yards (67%!) with 24 touchdowns against 17 interceptions and 22 sacks. If the Owls can find a running game, their offense could look like North Texas’s did last season. But though the Owls will almost certainly be able to score with anybody, their defense will most likely require some retooling. Last year’s defense did, anyway. They’ve brought in a bunch of transfers to help with that. We’ll see how well that works out.

FPI: -11.3
SP+: -7.1
Projected Line: Army (-8)

The Black Knights usually match-up well against pass-happy teams that struggle against the run, and if that’s what this FAU team turns out to be, then maybe these projections will prove correct. However, teams do improve, especially teams with solid head coaches and a lot of returning talent. If Kittley can maintain his team’s offensive success, cut down on the turnovers, and play even just a little better on defense, FAU should at a minimum vie for a bowl bid. They could also — easily — make their game at Michie Stadium interesting. Last year’s FAU team was volatile but dangerous. Even a small improvement could improve their win-loss record tremendously.

As with most Army home games, this one will start at noon Eastern. CBS Sports will have coverage.

Tackle ➡️ CELLY 😤🔥 @The_RealAPE #WIP🏝️ pic.twitter.com/bicBEz2IA0

— Florida Atlantic Football (@FAUFootball) August 16, 2026

Final Thoughts

It’s hard not to be optimistic about Army’s chances given the amount of turmoil in the rest of the conference. Maybe Tulane maintains their success. Maybe FAU finally learns to stop the run. Honestly, at this point we have no idea what we should expect. 

Washington ➡️ Clerk = 6#GoArmy pic.twitter.com/5SRa0tbZeW

— Army Football (@ArmyWP_Football) August 15, 2026

The Black Knights need to re-learn how to move the chains in the fourth quarter, and if they can do that, they ought to win nearly all of these games. In August, we all feel good about that. By October, we’ll have a much better sense of how things really stand.

Friends, this could be a special season.

Go Army! Beat Bryant!!!