The calendar is tightening and America’s Game may be forced to move forward rather than fight for space in December
Why the Army Navy game could be moved to August originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
As the College Football Playoff continues to explore future expansion, Army and Navy have begun early stage discussions about what those changes could mean for the most tradition rich rivalry in the sport. According to reporting by Sports Business Journal and author Ben Portnoy, administrators from both service academies are weighing how an expanded playoff field could threaten the game’s long protected standalone window in December.
For decades, Army Navy has occupied the second Saturday of December almost entirely on its own, delivering massive television audiences and significant sponsorship value. That exclusivity, however, is no longer guaranteed. If the playoff expands beyond 16 teams, first round games could be pushed into that same weekend, creating direct competition for a time slot that has long belonged solely to the academies.
The financial implications are substantial. The game averaged more than seven million viewers annually, and CBS recently extended its broadcast agreement through 2038.
MORE: Jeff Monken struggles to put words to Army’s heartbreaking loss to Navy
At Sporting News, we have covered College Football Playoff expansion scenarios extensively, and one conclusion continues to surface. Any expansion beyond 16 teams will require either conference championship games going away or a calendar that pushes deeper into January and further back into the summer. That assumes college football still intends to end its season with the national championship game on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the third Monday in January. Moving the championship back another week while expanding the playoff does little to relieve the congestion, though it remains a possibility.
Either way, Army Navy sits directly in the path of this pressure.
The solution does not have to come at the expense of the game. It presents an opportunity.
The Black Knights and Midshipmen should kick off the college football season.
Whether it is labeled Week 00 or Week -1, or played on the Thursday or Friday night before opening weekend is a matter of branding. The concept is what matters. Instead of fighting for space at the end of a crowded season, give America’s Game its own moment at the beginning.
As we saw this season, with the Bucked Up LA Bowl presented by Gronk kicking off roughly an hour after Army and Navy concluded their 126th meeting, some of the reverence tied to being truly standalone has already eroded. It is difficult to see how the December calendar becomes more favorable unless the game is moved off Saturday entirely.
Opening the season with Army vs. Navy would restore what made the rivalry special in the first place. It would give the sport a defining opening statement, reestablish exclusivity, and allow college football to begin each year by honoring the game that has always stood apart.
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Category: General Sports
