College football's legendary rivalry is renewing itself

Army-Navy, the 125th meeting in college football’s most storied series, will officially conclude the 2024 regular season. Aside from the usual pageantry that this game offers, it is also almost always a highly entertaining affair. Eight of the last 10 meetings have been one-score contests, including last year’s 17-11 Army win that ended with a goal-line score and the double-OT affair two seasons ago, also won by the Black Knights became.

Add to that the fact that both academy teams are having successful seasons and that this meeting will determine the overall winner of the Commander-In-Chief’s Trophy, not to mention that the academies have a combined 15 games over .500, and that’s how it should be be an appointment viewing.

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Here’s a quick look at the details.

No. 18 Army (11-1) vs. Navy (8-3)

Time/TV: Saturday, 3 p.m. ET, CBS.

Why watch: See above. This year the game will take place at the venue currently known as Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland, much closer to Navy’s backyard but still at a neutral site where both academies are sure to be well represented in the crowd. The Midshipmen’s only previous meeting on this field was in 2011, but the Black Knights have won five of the last seven series meetings. They also won the American Athletic Conference title in their first year in the league. The Midshipmen were in contention for the league title before suffering a loss after an 0-6 start to the season, but in their final game they picked up a win over bowl-bound East Carolina. Both teams also defeated the Air Force earlier this year, so in addition to the usual Pentagon bragging rights, there’s another piece of hardware at stake.

Army QB Bryson Daily is coming off a great season, entering this contest with 1,480 rushing yards and 29 touchdowns, along with an additional 877 yards passing and eight scores. If he doesn’t keep the ball, it usually ends up in the hands of RB Kanye Udoh, SB Noah Short or WR Casey Reynolds. The Navy’s defense will of course be very familiar with the Black Knight formations. Expect LBs Colin Ramos and Kyle Jacob to be near the point of attack frequently. Navy starting QB Blake Horvath was injured early in the loss to Tulane and missed the win at East Carolina but is expected to return in that game. His backup, Braxton Woodson, has taken plenty of meaningful snaps and is ready when needed. FB Alex Tecza and SB Eli Heidenreich can help keep the ball moving. The main stoppers on the Army front are LBs Andon Thomas and Kalib Fortner.

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College football’s legendary rivalry is renewing itself

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