Even in this banner season for military academy football – complete with winning streaks, national rankings and a conference championship – the biggest goal remains the same.
For Army: Beat Navy. For Navy: Beat Army.
With the college football landscape changing at a furious rate, the significance of this matchup adds a dose of tradition to mid-December, amid all that talk about the transfer portal and the new expanded playoff.
“We’ve had a good year. You make it a great year by winning this game coming up on Saturday. Frankly, that’s just the way it goes around here,” Army coach Jeff Monken said. “It’s a game and a season really all of its own. We don’t apologize for talking about it all the time. We talk about it all the time, and it’s 365 days a year.”
Saturday in Landover, Maryland, is the 125th matchup between Army and Navy, and although these two programs are long removed from their days winning national titles and Heisman Trophies, this is a historic moment in the rivalry. The Black Knights and Midshipmen have combined for 19 wins this season, their highest total ever entering this game.
Army (11-1) is ranked 19th in the AP poll after beating Tulane last week to win the American Athletic Conference – the first league title of any kind in the team’s 134-year history. Navy (8-3) was ranked as well earlier this season after starting with six straight victories.
“I knew we were going to be an improved football team,” Navy coach Brian Newberry said. “Didn’t know exactly what that was going to look like. I think certainly we’ve improved in a lot of different areas. I’m excited about the season we’ve had.”
Common opponents
This was Army’s first season in the AAC, putting the Black Knights and Midshipmen in the same league, although their annual matchup is considered a nonconference game. For a while, there was a chance the teams could meet twice, with a conference championship clash coming before the regularly scheduled…
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