RANT SPORTS – I must say that this will be my 25th year of covering the Army vs. Navy game and it is hard to explain but this event is what is great about college sports. Saturday just about 33 miles from the Pentagon to the game site in Landover, Maryland. It will be the 125th time the two teams will meet.
The game time will air at 3 p.m. and you can watch the game on CBS and stream it Paramount+
It might be one of the best matchups in recent years
Army comes into the game ranked 19th in the AP Top 25 poll and after winning the American Athletic Conference in their first year as member. Army has an impressive 11-1 record and their only loss on this year’s regular season schedule was to CFP Playoff bound Notre Dame.”
It’s a game and a season really all of its own,” Army coach Jeff Monken said Tuesday. “We’ve had a good year. You make it a great year by winning this game coming up on Saturday. Frankly, that’s just the way it goes around here.”
For most of the 2024 season Navy was ranked in the weekly AP Top 25 and rolling up big wins before like Army they lost to Notre Dame. The Mids. finished the season with an impressive 8-3 record good enough finish third in the AAC behind only Army and Tulane.
Both teams participate in games. Army will face the Sunbelt Champion Marshall in the Independence Bowl in Shreveport, LA. Meanwhile Navy, will compete against the Oklahoma Sooners from the Big 12.
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No NIL money or transfer portal at these schools
Both the Naval Academy and West Point do not recruit players from the portal or by negotiating NIL deals their athletes. It is straightforward: you attend, achieve good grades, or you do not play. End of story. Full stop.
To attend either institution, you must have a letter of recommendation from a member of Congress, the Vice President of the United, or the President himself. Additionally, you need a high GPA and good test scores.
One last requirement to get in is the ability to pass a very intense physical fitness test, which includes swimming, running, sit-up/pull-up tests. Therefore, these are solely for individuals who are genuinely committed to joining the United States military rather than pursuing a career in the NFL. While there are a few Army Navy players in professional sports after service to the country, there a few players who move into playing on Sundays.
No Athletic Scholarships
Strictly speaking, there are no exclusive scholarships the academies. Every student attending the Army, Navy, and Force academies is on a scholarship. Athletes receive considerations during the admission process, but there is no financial aid specifically for athletics. The scholarship that athlete receives at a service academy no different from the scholarship of other midshipman.
Enemies for only one day
From the moment each student body enters the stadium, marching onto the in formation before heading into the stands, to when each team gathers sing their alma mater after the game is over, the matchup carries a significance that is unparalleled in the rest of college football.
While both teams are eager to defeat each other, having anticipated this game since the beginning of practices, there exists a fundamental level of respect and reverence one another: future brothers and sisters-in-arms competing for lifelong bragging rights
Pete Medhurst the voice of Navy Sports will miss the game.
A friend and outstanding broadcaster Pete Medhurst, Navy’s play-by-play announcer, was recently diagnosed with a brain tumor. Pete underwent successful surgery and transferred a center this weekend, where he will focus on regaining strength and preparing for radiation and therapy.
He has called every Navy football game since 1997, missed his first one in 240 games as he was unable to call the Navy vs. Rice game as he continues to recover from brain cancer surgery. Pete is an outstanding play-by-play man but more importantly a very good person.
We all wish him a swift recovery and look forward to hearing his on-Navy sports once again. In the meantime, Keith Mills, also a member of the Navy radio team, will assume the play-by-play duties on the Navy radio network.