“God Bless the USA” – Annenberg Media

While upsets, a generational running back and the new playoff format have been the storylines that have gripped the world of college football this season, one in particular stood out to me: Army and Navy are in this year’s playoff race.

To give those unfamiliar with the Armed Forces football programs a little history lesson, the two play arguably the best rivalry in all of American sports. After conference championship week, they meet on a neutral field surrounded by cadets and play an hour of rough-and-tumble football. The rivalry game always features beautiful uniform combinations, with each school paying homage to an aspect of the U.S. military, often outside of the school’s usual color combinations.

Normally the game is meaningless. Traditionally, the two compete to host a bowl game, but this year the Armed Forces are dominating college football.

Entering Week 8 of the college football season, both Army and Navy are ranked in the Top 25, sitting well with the Black Knights at 7-0 and the Midshipmen at 6-0.

Last week the two reached the rank for the first time this season. The historic significance is that both the Army and Navy are listed in the same AP Top 25 for the first time since 1960.

The two are currently playing the most complex, ridiculous and well-orchestrated football in the sport. The Midshipmen and Black Knights rarely throw the ball, instead ramming a varied set of running moves down their opponent’s throat throughout the game until they lose heart.

What makes the Army-Navy rivalry game so incredible is that they both do the same thing, running the ball with trickery and explosiveness and then making a pass every tenth play, trying to catch the opponent off guard. They do the whole game, with the score usually ending in the mid to high…teens.

It’s fantastic and I hope that never changes.

Both teams have dominant quarterbacks, but not in the traditional sense… Army senior quarterback Bryson Daily has passed for just 629 yards and seven touchdowns this year, but has run the ball for 909 yards and 19 TOUCHDOWNS.

NINETEEN!

The guy is on pace for 33 rushing touchdowns in the regular season.

Navy junior quarterback Blake Horvath isn’t much different, rushing for 888 yards and 10 touchdowns while rushing for 654 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Army averages an incredible 54 rushing attempts per game and has accumulated an incredible 2,568 rushing yards with 16 different rushers this season, nearly 600 yards more than the second-best rushing offense, UCF. The Black Knights have produced these dominant rushing games with 31 touchdowns this season.

Navy isn’t far behind, boasting the seventh-best rushing offense with 1,649 yards in one less game, which is still an average of a whopping 46 rushing attempts per game.

While the box score for the two’s rushing games is incredibly impressive, the scoreboards are even crazier. They might as well pilot the tanks and aircraft carriers they learn to use on the field, decimating their opponents en route to victory in the American Athletic Conference.

The Black Knights outscore their opponents by an average of over 28 points, while the Midshipmen win by an average of around 25 points.

Navy got into a shootout with one of the AAC preseason favorites in Memphis earlier this year, defeating them 56-44. The Midshipmen have a huge chance to prove they’re for real later this week by taking on No. 12 Notre Dame at MetLife Stadium.

Army will also get a chance to defeat Notre Dame when the two meet on Nov. 23 at Yankee Stadium.

With the AAC looking lackluster, there is a very real possibility that the two go undefeated during conference play, which would lead to a conference championship game the week before Army-Navy week.

It’s pretty boring that the traditional rivalry game will have no impact on the CFP if it’s not played in the AAC Championship. To be completely honest, the fact that the two were in the same conference for the first time ever and potentially playing in the conference championship game made their rivalry week a lot less special.

While the normal rivalry won’t have the same impact, seeing the two meet in a conference championship game would still be exciting and potentially have a playoff spot on the line.

It wouldn’t be the same as a meeting on a neutral field surrounded by the future of our military, but a game where the winner would be immortalized as one of the first members of the 12-team playoff would be incredible.

This year, two of college football’s most powerful and honorable rivals are playing for even more. If they meet in the AAC championship game, we could see an undefeated Army or Navy face the likes of Georgia, Tennessee or LSU in the playoffs.

Nothing is more American than Army versus the SEC playing in the CFP.

“And I’m proud to be an American. Where at least I know I’m free. And I won’t forget the men who died

who gave me this right and I would still like to stand by your side and defend it today. Because there is no doubt that I love this country. God bless the USA” – Lee Greenwood.

“God bless the USA”