This Saturday in Annapolis, Navy will begin its quest to re-capture the the Commander-in-Chief's trophy. Awarded each year in the triangular service academy series, the Midshipmen had held the trophy for seven years until the Air Force Falcons won it back last season.
Both teams enter the game with a 2-1 record, with Navy coming off a tough 3 point loss in Columbia to the top ten ranked Gamecocks. They enjoyed a bye last weekend, scouting the Falcons who racked up nearly 600 yards on the ground against an overmatched Tennessee State team. Troy Calhoun's squad finished with a school record 792 yards of offense. They'll face a much tougher test on Saturday at Navy Memorial Stadium, where the Midshipmen are currently 3 point favorites.
This game features the first (AFA) and fourth (Navy) ranked rushing attacks in the country, but the 111th (AFA) and 119th (Navy) ranked passing attacks, so expect any fireworks in this game to be ground-based.
While there's always a little extra on the line when the service academies face off, Saturday's game takes place against the conference realignment backdrop, where it was reported Tuesday night that both academies were holding offers from the Big East. Navy continues to reiterate that the it's still weighing its options.