The Army-Navy game is one of college football’s greatest traditions. The pageantry and passion are a microcosm of what makes the sport so special.
While that tradition is not going anywhere, it’s significance in the college football calendar is set to change quite a bit in 2024, thanks to the new bowl schedule.
Historically a standalone game on the Saturday between conference championship weekend and the start of bowl season, Army-Navy will now have to share the spotlight on Dec. 14 with the Celebration Bowl — the HBCU national championship game in Atlanta between the SWAC and MEAC champions — as well as the Camellia Bowl in Montgomery, Alabama.
The Army-Navy rivalry game will no longer be a stand-alone matchup under the new bowl schedule.
The Celebration Bowl & Camellia Bowl will be played on the same day.
(h/t @TheSpun) https://t.co/9bYYXIiIXU pic.twitter.com/DtyI8DuAK6
— On3 (@On3sports) June 10, 2024
This is all a downstream effect of the College Football Playoff’s expansion from four teams to 12 beginning this coming season. While the third Saturday in December typically signified the beginning of bowl season, that day will now feature opening round CFP games.
To adjust for this, the start of bowl season was pushed back one week earlier, coinciding with the Army-Navy game that previously solely occupied that Saturday slot.
While it doesn’t detract from the game itself, it’s still a bummer as it will almost certainly lead to fewer eyes on the game. And besides, who wouldn’t want to watch some hard-nosed, option football on a cold December day in the Northeast?
