The Army–Navy game occupies a special, yet peculiar position on the college football calendar.
Its significance is undeniable, given the history, ferocity and pageantry of the rivalry. It stands alone — literally — as the only game on the Saturday after conference championship weekend in December. Yet the stakes of the game typically haven’t mattered in terms of rankings or the national championship race.
Advertisement
This year, it’s complicated.
The service academies are both undefeated and ranked. And the 12-team College Football Playoff means that the No. 23 Black Knights (7-0) and No. 24 Midshipmen (6-0) are bona fide Playoff contenders — if one of them can win the American Athletic Conference.
But the
→ Continue reading at The New York Times Sports
