The college football teams at the U.S. Naval Academy and the U.S. Military Academy are both 4-0 for the first time since 1945.
A scenario now exists where the Black Knights and the Midshipmen could meet two weekends in a row in December — first in an American Athletic Conference championship game and then in their regular season clash on Dec. 14, where the Army-Navy game and the Heisman ceremony are the only relevant things happening in FBS college football. Two Army-Navy meetings in one season would be weird, but also awesome — especially if you love the triple-option.
Looking at the more immediate schedule, it feels like both the Mids and Black Knights will both be 5-0 after this weekend.
Going into Week 6, Army is favored by 12.5 points against a Tulsa team that got blown out by North Texas last week, while Navy is favored by 10 points in Colorado Springs, facing Air Force in the first of three Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy games this season.
Games between Service Academy teams are generally must-watch ones. When points for the Commander-In-Chief’s Trophy are on the line, the Midshipmen, Falcons and Black Knights usually play at their very best.
But there’s reason to believe that this game won’t be all that close. Navy is unbeaten and receiving votes in the Top 25 Poll, while Air Force is 1-3 with its lone victory coming by way of a 21-6 score over FCS team Merrimack. Air Force entered the season with the least experienced roster in the nation, and Navy returned four starting offensive lineman and seven defensive starters.
Oh, and Navy has one of those dudes at quarterback this season in Blake Horvath, who is the first quarterback since Lamar Jackson in 2016 to rush for at least seven touchdowns and throw for at least seven touchdowns in the first four games of the season.
Air Force has a four-game winning streak against Navy, but the Falcons are due for a bit of a comeuppance. When the COVID-shortened 2020 season happened, Air Force sent some of its players home, preserving their eligibility. In the service academy world, these are called “turnbacks.” In most cases, fifth-year players and redshirt years aren’t really allowed at service academies. You have four years to complete your degree and then you go to work for the military. But it is the view of many in Annapolis that Air Force gamed the system during the pandemic when nearly 40 Falcons used turnbacks. For the next three seasons — where Air Force went 29-10 with three bowl wins and 4-2 against Army and Navy — the Falcons had fifth-year players scattered on their roster when, under normal circumstances, they wouldn’t have. Navy did not use any turnbacks.
And now all that extra experience is gone, and Air Force has a young team that doesn’t seem to be all that good.
So, it’s revenge time for the Mids.
Navy versus Air Force kicks off at noon on Saturday on CBS and Paramount+. Here are the other games you should pay attention to:
Saturday, noon ET – ABC
(Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images)
This is the lone ranked-versus-ranked matchup of Week 6. It should be a game that helps us separate the contenders from the pretenders in the SEC. Missouri is aiming to keep its undefeated record intact, while the Aggies are eyeing a 3-0 start in SEC play under first-year coach Mike Elko.
Saturday, noon ET – ESPN
(Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images)
Like the Aggies’ matchup with the Tigers in the SEC, this game between SMU and Louisville should show us who is for real and who isn’t in the ACC. The Cardinals are coming off their first loss, a 31-24 defeat at Notre Dame, while the Mustangs demolished Florida State, 42-16, last week.
The ACC remains wide open. Is SMU capable of winning the conference in its first season in it? Right now, the Ponies certainly seem to have an offense capable of scoring against anyone, as they’ve stacked up 108 points in the last two weeks.
And no one had this game circled on their calendar in the preseason, but an October 26 game at Duke — who is currently undefeated — is looking more and more interesting for SMU and ACC football fans.
Friday, 9 p.m. ET – FS1
Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images
Remember Matt Sluka? It was easy to forget about him last week when — after Sluka basically removed himself from the team over an NIL kerfuffle to preserve his eligibility — Hajj-Malik Williams stepped in under center for the Rebels and piled up 301 yards of total offense, three passing touchdowns and one rushing in a dominant 59-14 win over Fresno State.
With an undefeated record and a spot in the AP Top 25 Poll, UNLV finds itself positioned for not only a run at the Mountain West Conference title but also a spot in the College Football Playoff. Through five weeks, it feels like that playoff spot that will go to the highest ranked Group of Five champion might wind up going to the winner of the Mountain West, which will likely be UNLV or Boise State.
For now, UNLV is presented with an opportunity to boost its resume with a victory over a major conference opponent. Watch this game for the quarterback play, where Williams is one side, while the Orange will be powered by former Ohio State passer Kyle McCord.
Saturday, 7 p.m. ET – ESPNU
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Outside of the Mountain West, James Madison looks like the strongest contender for the Group of Five playoff bid with a 4-0 record and an explosive offense. Meanwhile, UL Monroe is off to its strongest start in a while under first-year coach Bryan Vincent.
With one more victory, the Warhawks will have four wins, tying their most in a single season over the past five years. Monroe hasn’t had a winning season since 2012. How the Warhawks play at home against James Madison could be an indicator of how high they should get their hopes for the rest of the season.
Saturday, noon ET – ESPN2
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How much worse can things get for Mack Brown at North Carolina after giving up 70 points to James Madison and blowing a 20-point lead against rival Duke? Here comes the ACC’s signature chaos agent strolling into Chapel Hill with an Alabama transfer at quarterback. Good luck, Tar Heels.
Michigan State at No. 6 Oregon: Friday, 9 p.m. ET – FOX
No. 12 Ole Miss at South Carolina: Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET – ESPN
No. 4 Tennessee at Arkansas: Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET – ABC
No. 10 Michigan at Washington: Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET – NBC, Peacock
