<div>United States Military Academy powers West Point (Army) and The Naval Academy are a combined 13-0 for the first time since 1926 in college football. The unprecedented success of the No. 23 Black Knights and No. 24 ranked Midshipmen have come at a critical point in college football, the birth of the 12-team playoff. For the previous decades the College Football Playoffs (CFP) have featured four juggernauts of teams who battle it out in a semi-final and championship matchup, making it extremely difficult for a non-power conference school (South Eastern Conference, Big Ten, Atlantic Coast conference and Big 12 conference) to have any chance. However, the growing talent and competition level nationwide has forced the NCAA to expand the bracket to 12 teams, giving hope to many smaller schools that previously only hoped to play a decent bowl game. Head Coach Brian Newberry has been the genius behind Navy’s football team. His offensive schemes have allowed their players to carve up the so far sub-par opponents. Navy looks to make a name for themselves and make a major jump in the rankings if they can defeat No. 12 ranked Notre Dame this weekend. Quarterback Bryson Daily has been at the forefront of Army’s success. Known for his hard running and destructive stiff arms, he has been able to rush for 19 touchdowns and throw for seven so far this season. Daily has led Army to its first 7-0 start since 1996 and surpassed last year’s record of 6-6. Army has a favorable schedule with their most formidable opponent being Notre Dame, who they face in early November. If Army and Navy are able to remain at the top of their conferences, we could see a back-to-back matchup as the teams will play each other to end the regular season and possibly the week after in the conference championship. With both teams facing Notre Dame, a win could give either team the much-needed momentum to finish the season and punch their way into the CFP. In this new format the five highest ranking conference champions will receive automatic bids for the playoffs, followed by the next seven highest ranked teams. But how does this help Army and Navy if they are only ranked 23 and 24? Well, out of the top 25 teams there are only six conferences represented. This means that Army or Navy only needs to be ranked higher than one other conference after the hopeful conclusion of the season as conference champs. If Army or Navy is able to defeat Notre Dame and best the other in a duel for the conference championship, one of them could be ranked as high as in the low teens. This ranking might just be good enough to surpass the Mountain West conference leader, Boise State, who currently sits at No. 17, and if there is a decline in the current Big 12 leaders, No. 10 Iowa State and No. 11 Brigham Young University, Army or Navy has a real shot of their first modern-era CFP. The unprecedented success of these teams has not been without criticism. A major criticism of the new CFP is that it allows teams in conferences that are not considered to be competitive to be rewarded with a playoff appearance, whereas a much better school in a more competitive conference might be cut. The best example of this was in the 2023-2024 playoffs which featured a single loss Alabama over an undefeated Florida State because of several ranking factors. Despite the Heartbreak and neglect of many FSU fans, it was likely the right decision. However, in the new playoff format, an undefeated Army or Navy has a shot to make the playoffs with a single token win over a mid-ranked school (Notre Dame), keeping better teams out of the playoff. Despite this, Army and Navy both have the chance to prove the nay-sayers wrong. A strong win vs. Notre Dame and a Conference title will almost certainly help either team punch a ticket to the playoffs. And in a world where Vanderbilt was able to beat Alabama, there exists the possibility that Army or Navy could win the CFP. </div>

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Military powers battle it out in American Classic

United States Military Academy powers West Point (Army) and The Naval Academy are a combined 13-0 for the first time since 1926 in college football. The unprecedented success of the No. 23 Black Knights and No. 24 ranked Midshipmen have come at a critical point in college football, the birth of the 12-team playoff.