Dream with me for a moment...

[gabn92]

OK...it's been a dark and dreary season for the most part and we're all in a bit of a funk over the state of the program and the likely beatdown coming our way this weekend.

Let's depart this sad reality for a moment and dream (however improbable that dream might be) of a brighter future...hopefully in the not-too-distant future. The CFP rankings just came out and AF was #25. They are in the discussion as a legitimate potential this year for a NY6 bowl bid. Starting next year, a season like this with a conference championship could mean a CFP place as the #12 seed.

Fast-forward into the future...and Army is having a similar amazing season. We go undefeated and enter the AAC championship game and somehow win it. We also could conceivably be in position to be the highest ranked "Group of 5" champ...with a potential CFP slot as the #12 seed.

But...instead of prepping for that game and getting ready to finish out the best season in Army history, we'll still have to play Navy in the midst of that because we've decided to keep the Navy game as a non-conference game and keep it in mid-December.

That doesn't make any sense to me. Why are we so hung up on keeping the Navy game as a mid-December game in order to be the only thing on TV? That's a relatively recent development (last 15 years or so?)...it could still be a featured game during rivalry weekend, with a lucrative TV contract. And it wouldn't have to be this "pseudo-bowl" after the regular season is basically over.

One of the supposed reasons for going to the AAC was because of CFP access due to the expanded 12-team field. Great....something else to dream for and play for. A season like AF is having this year, and it could be possible. If/when the sun, moon and stars ever align and Army were to be having that kind of season...do we really want to have to play Navy in between a conference championship game and prepping to play the #5 seed in the CFP?

Again...I realize this is dreamland here (especially as poorly as we look this season!). But, AF is showing it is possible. Curious if others view the Navy game as so critical that it has to keep this mid-December timeslot?

[hammerdown]

If that would happen. It would be the greatest problem in
Army football in the last 40 years. Army would just have
to be flexible and just get it done. After listening to the
Army round table discussion with MB, JM and
AAC commissioner (video is on Army web page),
the AAC went out of there way to accommodate Army.
Plus, I think in this dream scenario, Army would
have off the last weekend in Nov., then the AAC,
followed by A/N, then 3 weeks until to a NY6.
Moving the A/N game to any earlier date would
create a lower TV rating due to other games to
compete with, and less $ for Army.

[armymule]

I'm probably going to be scorned for my opinion, but - I have always thought the college football season should end the Saturday after Thanksgiving, and that the ARMY-navy game should be on that same Saturday. All playoffs and bowl games should be finished by New Year's Day. I'm not going to go into my reasoning, I just feel that is the way it should be.

[wpgrad]

Everything is driven by money. CBS isn't giving up the sole-weekend spot for Army and Navy because that maximizes viewership, which means more money for CBS. Army and Navy are getting paid for the most viewers, which was the biggest reason we moved the game to the current weekend.

For data points, 6.94 million fans watched Army Navy in 2022. That was the 4th highest non-conference game of the year, after FSU versus LSU and ahead of Florida-Florida state. The highest watched G5 game all year was 1.7 Million fans who watch ranked tulane play ranked Cinci. So 4x as many fans are watching Army Navy.

There is no way that CBS is just going to move the game, lose viewers, and keep paying army and navy the same payouts, because our AD made the dumb decision to move to the AAC. None.

My opinion: This situation is going to keep going on until the end of the current Army Navy TV deal, which runs out in 2028. At that time, my bet is that Army Navy is going to become a conference game, and they are going to move it to some type of "stand alone" event thanksgiving weekend. As dumb as this might sound at first, I could even see CBS doing the Army Navy Game on Thanksgiving day as the "lead in" game to the two NFL games (currently there are 3 NFL games but maybe they drop back to 2) or as a stand alone game on Friday after thanksgiving where they can publicize the heck out of it "Turkey leftovers and Army Football!!"

Short term, i would assume that getting out of the current CBS deal through 2028 was essentially impossible. Cities have been lined up, etc so the short term plan by our idiot AD was that we just hope that we don't play back to back games for the next 5 years.

[RABBLE]

My opinion of all that is presently going on since the beginning of this season was already posted about a week ago by me but before we signed up for the AAC.
Our reputation as a national team has now been destroyed by joining the AAC. Yes, it will bring extra money of course, but our history and tradition of playing opponents all over the country as AMERICAS TEAM is no longer. WE have sacrificed it all for the dollar.
We have given up our program 's identity has a stand alone entity in college football. We are the same as anybody else playing the same teams in a same conference with the same scheme.
How boring. No new fresh teams to play. Our edge was the unfamiliarity of the TO upon new opponents on our schedule. We are now all the same. No difference except for one major reason.
All other teams minus Navy can employ the TRANSFER PORTAL. We cannot which makes our presence there an uneven playing ground.
Therefore we enter with not employing an uneven playing ground which hurts with recruiting, the NIL which we can not do either, the eventual familiar opposition playing year after year( the boring tendency of playing the same teams year after year mostly the southern members of the league which are now basically nondescript( beating them doesn't mean a whole lot, no future teams that are locally in nature (few fans will come to Michie to see us play a team like Florida Atlantic or an Alabama Birmingham), A possible trophy from the AAC which really mean a whole hellulva lot like the CIC Trophy which does), the increase home game prices of playing "quality" teams. The "chance" of playing a New Years Game is virtually almost impossible due to our own restrictions which would be laughable.
The only advantage to joining the AAC is of course---
MONEY-MONEY-MONEY-MONEY-MONEY-MONEY-MONEY-MONEY-MONEY-MONEY_MONEY-MONEY and more MONEY.
Al the fans will get will be the same old teams , the same old mediocre 6-6 records, a minor bowl rarely. and the" joy" of watching Tulsa and their 20 imports yearly in the Transfer Portal.
Our present AD and Supe are NUTS with this decision and they will some day regret they even entertained this idea. Foolish, absurb, ridiculous, non-sensical, hap-hazzard. rushing to judgement, unconscienable, stupid.
Our AD will be now called by me in regal tones-- THE COUNT DE MONET (Money}
Our Supe will be referred to as the KING CONTROLLER DE MONET.
The fans will be called the "GO -ALONGS" who pay for the tickets who will go' alon gwith" this useless ride to nowhere.

So probably who do we play in one of our two out of conference game??
NOTRE DAME of course. Strictly for the money as always.
Who the hell they think they are kidding here?

[palidog]

I would not worry about this happening any time soon. .

[PrideandDream]

All a moot point if we don't go out and find a legitimate offensive staff to run a system suited for the talent we have.