When the 12-team playoffs was announced for the FBS, everyone saw it as a positive. The more teams that make the playoffs, the more legit the national champion will feel. It’ll also open paths for the non-power teams to have a legitimate shot at a national champion, which will cause more drama and allow more teams to succeed. Not just the same ten or so that have been dominating for the past decade. Because of this people imminently begin to speculate dead programs that could be on the rise again.
However, five weeks into this new era the biggest surprise is two famous programs, that are ready to rejoin the national stage. These programs are Army and Navy. Yes the two most prestigious military academies in the world, are having their best football season since the end of World War 2. However, how good are these teams, and how likely is a spot in the inaugural 12-team college football playoffs?
How Good Are Army and Navy?
Army
The argument can be made that the Amry Black Knights are the most surprising team in 2024. Army hasn’t made a Bowl game since they beat Missouri in the 2021 Armed Forces Bowl. They’ve also only gone 12-12 over the past two seasons. So it was fair to assume making the college football playoffs wasn’t the Black Knights’s main goal. A successful season probably would’ve been a win against Navy, coupled with a .500 season where the losses were hard-fought and one-possession games.
However, after starting the season 5-0, the goals have now changed. With Army beating all of their opponents convincingly it’s not crazy to say they have a realistic shot at the playoffs. The turnaround of Army has a lot to do with the play of their defense. The defense has been locking down only giving up 254.8 yards per game, and 10.5 points per game. This combined with a strong rushing attack makes Amry an extremely physical team. A style of play that is very hard to play against and gives Army an edge over their remaining opponents.
Navy
The turnaround of Navy is less of a surprise. After firing long-time coach Ken Niumatalolo, Navy has been slowly building their program back to relevance thanks to new head coach Brian Newberry. In his first season Newberry went 5-7, their best season since 2019. In fact, Navy just needs one more win for their highest win total since that 2019 season. After years of building, it seems that Navy is ready to start being competitive again.
Unlike Army, Navy’s 5-0 start has more to do with what they can do on offense. They have built one of the more lethal running attacks in the country. They’re currently averaging 303.8 rushing yards per game, which is the second most in the nation. This strong running attack has become the identity of the offense. So much so that they run the ball almost 78% of the time. Some might say makes the offense one dimensional, however, when you average 42.3 points per game it’s not a major concern.
Can Either of Them Make the College Football Playoffs?
Although it’s great that these historic teams are finding success, it’ll be forgotten by the general public if it doesn’t go anywhere. It’ll be another footnote that fans of the programs, and college football in general bring up every now and then. So the question is how realistic is it that either of these teams can make the college football playoffs? Well, the easiest path for them would be to win the American. This is because the top five conference champions get an automatic bid in the 12-team field. If either one of them wins the American, that means they’re at worst a one-loss team, so that should get them a decent position in the college football rankings. Thus making them the fifth-highest conference champion.
If neither of them can win the American, then the path to the playoffs becomes almost impossible. At that point, they’ll have to get in on their resume alone. However, with them playing in a Group of Five conference rather than a Power Four conference their resume is going to be much weaker. The only impressive win they would have would be a win against Notre Dame. Other than that it’s a bunch of uninspiring American teams. Nobody turns heads and puts them over a two-loss team that played in the Power Four. Regardless of where their season goes, the fact that Army and Navy are relevant is good for the sport.
Brian Germinaro is a sportswriter for Belly Up Sports. Follow him on Twitter/X for more sports coverage and Belly Up Sports for even more college football content. Feature image credit: Icon Sportswire.
