Army and Navy turning back the clock with undefeated starts
By Max Weisman
Army and Navy have started a combined 11-0 and they're both ranked in the Week 8 AP Poll at 23 and 25, respectively. This is the first time the two schools have been ranked in the same poll since 1960. This season also marks the furthest into the season the two service academies are undefeated since 1945 when the Army-Navy game was a matchup of the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the country. Army won that game before 102,000 people in Philadelphia and was eventually named National Champion.
The Black Knights are 6-0 for the first time since 1996. Quarterback Bryson Daily is a huge part of Army's undefeated start. He's thrown for 482 yards, six touchdowns and no interceptions through their first six games, but he does the most damage on the ground. Daily has 738 rushing yards on 107 carries for 14 touchdowns. His 14 rushing touchdowns ranks third in the country, behind Tennessee's Dylan Sampson and Boise State's Ashton Jeanty.
Army is bowl eligible for the first time since 2021 when they beat Missouri in the Armed Forces Bowl. Looking ahead at the Black Knights schedule, they only have one game they should lose before they play Navy on December 14. Army will play No. 12 Notre Dame at Yankee Stadium on November 23. They should be undefeated heading into that game with games against East Carolina, Air Force and North Texas before their showdown in the Bronx.
The Navy Midshipmen are 5-0 for the first time since 2017. Similarly to their rival, quarterback Blake Horvath has led Navy to their undefeated start. He's thrown for 771 yards, seven touchdowns and one interception while adding 565 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground. Both he and Daily lead their team in passing and rushing.
The Midshipmen also have a relatively easy schedule ahead of their yearly showdown with Army. Like their fellow service academy, their toughest game remaining is also against Notre Dame. This year's iteration of that rivalry will be played at MetLife Stadium on October 26. Army and Navy could both be heading into their game with one loss each and undefeated in their conference, setting up a very interesting scenario.
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Army and Navy have played the week following conference championships every year since 2009 so they can be the only two teams playing that week. However, if both of their only losses are to Notre Dame, they'll be undefeated in conference play, meaning they could play twice in the same season for the first time ever.
It's unclear if the NCAA would make the Army-Navy regular season game the American Athletic Conference Championship if this scenario arises, but if not the two service academies could play each other two weeks in a row. Additionally, if they're the two highest-ranked Group of Five teams the winner of that game could head to the first 12-team playoff as the Group of Five representative.
Of course, they both have to win the games on their schedule to reach that point. But how awesome would it be for Army-Navy to essentially be a College Football Playoff play-in?
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