Well over half a century has elapsed since the Army Black Knights and Navy Midshipmen were included in the Associated Press Top 25 at the same time. However, in the rankings released following Week 7, the Cadets debuted at No. 23 while Navy landed at No. 25.
In the 1960 season, the Midshipmen finished with a 9-2 record, ascending to the No. 4 spot. Although the Black Knights were ranked as high as No. 18 at one point that year, they dropped out of the Top 25 by the end of the campaign.
Fast forward to 2024 and both teams are undefeated — Army at 6-0 and Navy at 5-0. As reported by Stars and Stripes, the squads have not both “been unbeaten at this point in a season since 1945, weeks after World War II ended[,] … in [an] era when the service academies were powerhouses of the sport.”
The Black Knights and Midshipmen are the only two teams from the American Athletic Conference (AAC) in the Top 25.
In Week 7, Army routed the UAB Blazers 44-10 while Navy was idle. On Oct. 19, the Cadets host East Carolina at West Point, N.Y., and the Midshipmen host the Charlotte 49ers in their homecoming game at Annapolis, Md. Both Week 8 service academy foes have 3-3 records.
Before they meet one another in the traditional Army-Navy game on Dec. 14 in Landover, Md., both teams play Notre Dame in neutral-site games. Navy clashes with the Fighting Irish on Oct. 26 at East Rutherford, N.J., and the Black Knights square off with Notre Dame on Nov. 23 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, N.Y. The Fighting Irish are 5-1 and ranked No. 12.
Navy’s dual-threat quarterback Blake Horvath is receiving attention as a contender for the Heisman Trophy award. On the season, he has rushed for 565 yards and 10 touchdowns while throwing for 771 yards and seven TDs.
Army’s offense is spearheaded by senior QB Bryson Daily, another dual-threat signal caller. In six games this year, Daily has racked up 738 yards and 14 TDs on the ground while passing for 482 yards, six TDs and no interceptions.
If the Black Knights and Midshipmen both continue their winning ways, allocation of the spot in the College Football Playoff guaranteed to a Group of 5 representative could come down to a head-to-head competition between these two teams.