Onward

[Coach MC]

Really impressive victory for Army in the AAC championship vs Tulane. What could have been a very competitive game did not turn out to be that, as I thought we dominated in almost every phase. Daily was impressive as always, and Udoh really ran with purpose. Offensive line took the fight to Tulane. Watching the award ceremony and celebration afterward was really special, and I'm glad ABC stayed with it through the end. Important for the nation to see the reverence and respect associated with this program and institution. It directly contrasts what the world of college sports is these days, and I hope people recognize that if you have the right kids, that the discipline, regimentation, and structure of West Point and being highly successful in college football are not mutually exclusive. Jeff Monken had a vision of what he thought this program should be and a serious respect for the values of West Point, and it has added up to some of the best years of Army football.

As for the bowl, I'm just going to be honest and say I'm disappointed. I saw it possibly going this way a couple weeks ago when I saw Texas State mentioned as a possible Independence Bowl opponent. That was the first time it ever occurred to me there might not be a P4 opponent. In regard to the Independence Bowl, we had a contract originated in 2020 that I believe would require us to play 3 years in the 2020-2025 cycle, or opt out once every 3 years. This will actually only be the second time we have played there in the cycle, so I'm wondering if we may be obligated to go back next year. There is no way the Independence Bowl was letting us off the hook this year. The opportunity to have the AAC champion and a nationally ranked Army team in their bowl must have those event organizers super pumped. Thought I heard that event reps had scouted us several times in person. The issue is you invited an opponent who just lost their coach, so that is never good. I would think event organizers would do due diligence and know that rumors were swirling that the coach's departure was imminent, if not already done. So what should be a great matchup on paper doesn't look as good now with all their departures. Marshall will still be a capable team and can not be taken lightly, but we understand the situation. Couple that with the game being in Shreveport, LA and a start time of 9:15 EST and really not ideal. I'm not partial to Annapolis for obvious reasons, but a Military Bowl appearance vs an ACC school would seem ideal. I was also hoping someone could intervene and finesse it to circumvent these contracts due to Army's unparalleled success this year, and get Army to a high profile bowl against a very strong opponent, but it seems these P4 contracts are ironclad and that speaks to where the power in college football now lies.

What's done is done. Now on to Navy. The biggest game of the year for many reasons. But now, the idea of both a CIC trophy and an AAC championship would make this a year that people will never forget. Throw out the records in this one. Navy is a very good team, and they have had time to rest, heal, study film forward and backward, and maybe put in some new wrinkles. Army is in their toughest stretch of games all year, and has played one quality opponent after another. We are presumably pretty beat up physically at this point. There has been attrition on the defense, especially up front. Yet there is a resourcefulness about this Army team, a toughness, a pride, something special that can't be measured on paper. And the class of '25, whose bond and leadership is as strong as any I've seen in 40 years of being around this program. As I've said, these games are always rock fights. Brawls that come down to one big moment offensively, one special teams play, a mistake, or a goal line stand, which we have been remarkable at this year. I think Army is the more talented team, is tougher physically, and has a generational QB, and I take comfort in that. And if that isn't enough, you know JM will have his team prepared and ready to take the fight to Navy. I really want to see this game.

Also want to say it really is an honor to share this board with so many knowledgeable people, who love Army football as much as I do. Really like hearing the different opinions. We may not always agree with what is said, but we will certainly defend your right to say it.

[kfan12]

Apparently Army decided to honor the commitment they'd already made according to the article posted by Option This. Unfortunate that the former PAC-12 teams didn't have enough bowl eligible teams and that Marshall has lost 7 of their starters to the portal, but I for one am good with the Academy honoring its commitments.

[Coach MC]

I agree that honoring a contractual commitment represents the values of West Point and I support that. Just an unusual year with the Pac 12 dismantling. I guess in 2020 the idea of having a secured bowl destination every other year looked good. Moving forward, would love to see the flexibility of having the choice of several venues. Since there seems to be no clear plan for ranking the AAC teams after the regular season and assigning them to specific bowls, I guess they'll allow the bowls and the teams to figure out who goes to Fenway, Military, Independence, Armed Forces, or the other possible bowl destinations. Quite frankly, any chance I get to watch this Army team play is rewarding.

[Oliphant]

We had an opt-out option and declined.

General Burnside decision.

[wpgrad]

This bowl stuff is incredibly political and it was probably a good long term move to "honor" our deal with them so that when we are 6-6 one year the bowl folks remember.

That said....in addition to being a stinker of a location....per twitter at last count Marshall has had 7 starters enter the portal as well as their 1st, 2nd and 3rd string quarterback. This could be a disaster of a game

[Army Frog Fan]

I'm fine watching Army win like they did against Houston a few years back. That might have been the most fun Ive had at a game in awhile.

[RABBLE]

West Point once again mirrors it's motto---Duty ,HONOR, Country, its motto. I would expect nothing less.-

Duty, HONOR, Country. We are honoring a contract made in the past.

Hey, Schreveport is very nice. Enjoyed the game back in 1996 against Auburn on New Year's Eve. We went to Bozier City that evening on the docked boats for a bit of slot work and had a great time.
We lost a close one but the experience was terrific.

[Oliphant]

This bowl stuff is incredibly political and it was probably a good long term move to "honor" our deal with them so that when we are 6-6 one year the bowl folks remember.

That said....in addition to being a stinker of a location....per twitter at last count Marshall has had 7 starters enter the portal as well as their 1st, 2nd and 3rd string quarterback. This could be a disaster of a game

Army will never be left out of a bowl.

[Army Frog Fan]

This bowl stuff is incredibly political and it was probably a good long term move to "honor" our deal with them so that when we are 6-6 one year the bowl folks remember.

That said....in addition to being a stinker of a location....per twitter at last count Marshall has had 7 starters enter the portal as well as their 1st, 2nd and 3rd string quarterback. This could be a disaster of a game

Army will never be left out of a bowl.

If I recall correctly, Army was going to be left out in the COVID year because they didn’t have guaranteed slot for a certain bow that year, but another team opted out and Army took their spot.

[Oliphant]

This bowl stuff is incredibly political and it was probably a good long term move to "honor" our deal with them so that when we are 6-6 one year the bowl folks remember.

That said....in addition to being a stinker of a location....per twitter at last count Marshall has had 7 starters enter the portal as well as their 1st, 2nd and 3rd string quarterback. This could be a disaster of a game

Army will never be left out of a bowl.

If I recall correctly, Army was going to be left out in the COVID year because they didn’t have guaranteed slot for a certain bow that year, but another team opted out and Army took their spot.

Because Army's guaranteed tie-in (the Independence Bowl) was canceled due to COVID, that was a strange year (bowl eligibility was extended to anyone). You can't draw any solid conclusions from it. There are usually enough slots for every eligible team, especially since we are in a conference.