Before we get to what will happen with the annual Army-Navy game (the 125th edition of takes place this Saturday), let me just say that I think it’s wonderful it is played in a NFL stadium every year. This storied rivalry, and all the tradition and pageantry that goes along with it certainly deserves a true spectacle.
However, it can no longer have a college football Saturday to itself anymore.
That’s just no longer plausible, as the sport continues evolving at a rapid pace. Actually, it’s already happened.
Dead Zone Saturday of the College Football Season
Traditionally, this upcoming Saturday is the least interesting and worthwhile of the entire college football season.
It’s just the Army-Navy game and the Heisman Trophy presentation. If you’re really into these things, cool.
Like I said already, the Army-Navy game is a pretty awesome thing! However, if you’re not into it, then you’re just not into it.
The Heisman ceremony is BORRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRING, in my opinion, so I totally understand if you don’t want to watch a minute of that.
So other than the Heisman and the Army-Navy game, your college football choices are…nothing.
Until this year actually.
Typically, the first group of bowl games (i.e. the very lowest tier, in a long over-bloated system) takes place on the Saturday AFTER the Army-Navy game.
This year, however, you have two bowl games on this specific Saturday: the Salute to Veterans Bowl (supplementing the Military Bowl and the Armed Forces Bowl, Navy’s destination, later on in the cycle) and the Celebration Bowl (featuring Jackson St. versus South Carolina St.).
The CFP is Now Our Commanding Officer
Both teams have been ranked very late in the season in recent years. Army was #22 in the final CFP rankings this season. You just cannot have regular season games AFTER the rankings come out. It makes no sense.
Let me say it again- you cannot play meaningful games AFTER the final rankings are done, and then bowl and playoff matchups get set.
Both Army and Navy could be in the mix for this in future seasons.
This will especially be true once they expand the 12 team to 16. And they WILL do it, sooner rather than later. When the inaugural 12-team format this year brings in a boatload of money, from sky high ratings, they will move fast to expand to 16.
Conference Championship Weekend
The inevitable CFP expansion, and its effect on the bowl system as well, means that the dead zone Saturday will be consumed into it. In fact in this day and age, where you have some bowl games that are pretty much participation trophies, it’s already starting to happen. While it would be ideal to move the Army-Navy game on to conference title game weekend, it’s just not possible.
Both teams are in the American Athletic Conference, and Army (who will play in the Independence Bowl this season) just won the league title game.
Rivalry Saturday
To honor the legendary feats of the great former Army QB Trent Steelman, this game belongs on rivalry Saturday. This is where the Army-Navy game belongs, and honestly, it might be even make it MORE of a thing! After all, this is arguably the best Saturday in college football, and a much bigger and better day than the dead zone day coming up.
Sorry, but we’re going to have to move this Army-Navy game up in the schedule.
It just can’t be sustained where it is, and I hope you can understand that you can move the game, and still “SUPPORT THE TROOPS!”
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America and RG. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.