Military Bowl 2017: Virginia vs. Navy TV Schedule, Time and Odds

The Midshipmen of Navy may have lost their regular-season finale against Army, but they hope to close the year with a Military Bowl victory over the Virginia Cavaliers of the ACC.

It has not been a banner year for Navy (6-6), but the Middies are playing in a postseason game for the 14th time in the last 15 seasons.

Virginia (6-6) also struggled much of the year, and the Cavaliers have lost their last three games.

The two teams will kickoff Thursday at 1:30 p.m. ET, and Navy is a 1.5-point favorite, according to OddsShark. The game will be played on Navy's home field in Annapolis, Maryland, and it will be televised by ESPN.

Despite the losing streak, Virginia head coach Bronco Mendenhall couldn't be happier about taking his team to a bowl game. 

"It's like being reborn. A year ago, staying home was very foreign, was very humbling," said Mendenhall, per Stats.com (h/t ESPN.com). Mendenhall had been head coach at Brigham Young for 11 years prior to becoming the Virginia head coach, and he had taken the Cougars to a bowl game in each of those seasons.

Quarterback Kurt Benkert has triggered the Virginia offense, and he has thrown for 3,062 yards with 25 touchdowns and eight interceptions.

It's all about the passing game for Virginia, because the Cavs can't run the ball. They average 67.8 yards per game on the ground.

Navy is just the opposite. The Midshipmen are a powerful running team that averages 343 yards per game, and that's second in the nation behind Army (362.3 rushing yards per game).

Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo is thrilled to be playing the game at home.

"We can have our training room, our weight room, our equipment room and our meeting rooms," Niumatalolo said. "I just think from a preparation standpoint, you can't beat your own facilities."

Olamide Zaccheaus is Virginia's top receiver. He has caught 80 passes for 833 yards and five touchdowns. Andre Levrone is a big-play specialist who has caught 31 passes for 662 yards and seven touchdowns. Doni Dowling has caught 48 passes for 632 yards and five touchdowns.

Mark Humphrey/Associated Press

Navy is led by quarterback Zach Abey, who has rushed for 1,325 yards and has scored 14 touchdowns. Running back Malcolm Perry has rushed for 1,068 yards and nine touchdowns, while Chris High has 520 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

This game is going to come down to whether Virginia can pass better than Navy can run the ball. The Cavs may have the more difficult assignment, because Navy has the home-field advantage in this postseason game.