A slight change in the college football calendar has brought a lot of online discussion. Army–Navy is no longer being played as a standalone game, with two bowl games taking place on the same day. Sure, the traditional rivalry will still be the biggest matchup on Dec. 14 but for some, there will be a different feeling.
ESPN’s Greg McElroy is one of them, saying it’s a “necessary evil” of the College Football Playoff expanding to 12 teams. Bowl games need to be moved up in the calendar due to more dates needed to determine a national championship.
If McElroy had his way, everything surrounding the Army-Navy game would remain the same.
“This is an unintended consequence of the expanded College Football Playoff,” McElroy said. “And I hate this. If you want my personal opinion — the fact that Army-Navy no longer lives alone on a Saturday to themselves is really troublesome. It really is.”
“I want them to play on Dec. 14, that’s this year, in the Saturday after the College Football Playoff committee rankings are released. After conference championship weekend. I would love for them to have a standalone window.”
Sometimes, changes are spoken out against because people do not like change. Conference realignment is an example, with the sport’s landscape changing, and certain aspects being taken away.
However, McElroy believes the players of Army and Navy deserve to have their own special day. After all, they are a lot more than just college football players.
“These are the guys making a significant sacrifice,” McElroy said. “Not just for playing a sport they love so much but they also deserve to be celebrated for the commitment that they are making. Not just to their teammates or their universities but the American people with their service that extends beyond what they do at West Point and at the Naval Academy.”
FedEx Field in Landover, MD will host the Army-Navy game this upcoming season on Dec. 14. CBS will still have the broadcast, with kickoff scheduled for 3 p.m. ET. The Black Knights are on a two-game winning streak against the Midshipmen and have won six out of the last eight.
All of the great traditions will still take place. But there will be two other college football games taking place on the day and potentially at the same time. The Cricket Celebration Bowl will kickoff at noon ET while the Camellia Bowl is at 9 p.m.
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