No matter what happens in East Rutherford, N.J., this Saturday, you should be paying attention to Navy football moving forward.
Let me be clear. I think Navy can beat Notre Dame Saturday. I think Navy might beat Notre Dame Saturday. I’m not writing this column because I’m suggesting a defeat is some sort of fait accompli or that I’m trying to “pre-excuse” a loss or something along those lines.
Navy football is in the midst of one of its more magical seasons in modern history, which is truly saying something considering how good Navy football has been since 2003. The Midshipmen are currently 6-0 and ranked No. 24 in the country ahead of a high-profile showdown with the Irish in Jersey. With Army also undefeated (7-0), there is a heightened level of interest in Academy football both locally and nationally.
This Navy team is good. While I doubt that SEC teams are going to suddenly embrace first-year offensive coordinator Drew Cronic’s hybrid Wing-T offense, the system has brought a great deal of excitement to Annapolis. The Midshipmen are averaging 7.32 yards per play this season, seventh best among all FBS teams in the country. It starts with quarterback Blake Horvath, a dark-horse Heisman candidate who joins Alabama’s Jalen Milroe as the only quarterbacks in the country with double-digit passing and rushing touchdowns. He generates tremendous power as a passer with ease in his motion.
It’s not just the offense. The defense has been outstanding again this season. After forcing five turnovers in an Oct. 19 win against Charlotte, Navy’s plus-12 turnover margin is now tied for the second best in all of FBS football. The group is lead in part by Jessup native Rayuan Lane III (Gilman). The senior safety has forced three fumbles to go along with a pair of interceptions, including the game sealing pick-six to clinch a win against then-No. 23 Memphis. The Mids are still the only team to have defeated Memphis this season.
Head coach Brian Newberry deserves an extraordinary amount of credit. Quite a few of us (and I mean us) seriously second-guessed the Academy’s decision to move on from Ken Niumatalolo after the 2022 season. Newberry stepped into what could have been an awkward situation and instead offered effusive praise for his former boss at every opportunity and provided continuity from the success of the Niumatalolo era. His persistence in trying to hire Cronic away from a good job as head coach at Mercer has paid off big-time. The defensive standard he set as coordinator has continued under defensive coordinator P.J. Volker.
Navy is legitimately very good. This isn’t fluky or a cute story. The Mids are an exceptional football team. I imagine they’ll have the collective attention of local sports fans for the showdown with the Irish this week. That’s well deserved. And that should keep up no matter what the result is. If they win (and they might!), that will go without saying. Interest will skyrocket. But even if they lose (that’s the other option, of course), there is no reason to limit your attention and support.
Even if the Mids lose, they will be unbeaten in the AAC. Their last home game of the regular season Nov. 16 against Tulane will likely have serious title implications. You might want to think about getting tickets for that this week, because the game will almost certainly be significant no matter what. If Navy beats Notre Dame, it might have heat unlike any college football game we’ve seen in this area. Even with a loss, the Mids would still be near the top of the list of contenders for the Group of Five spot to make the College Football Playoff along with Army and the winner of Friday night’s Boise State-UNLV game.
A neutral site loss to Notre Dame will not be at all disqualifying. Boise State has a compelling case at the moment. The Broncos’ only loss is a three-point decision on the road to the No. 1 team in the country (Oregon), but it is not a guarantee that they run the table.
Even if Navy loses to Notre Dame, that tantalizing possibility of an Army-Navy AAC championship game on campus to determine which team makes the CFP stays very real … and very conflicting for those of us who love the Army-Navy Game and acknowledge that it would lose luster in the process.
And again, I don’t say any of this because I’m expecting Navy to lose to Notre Dame. I genuinely believe the Mids have a chance to win the game. I just hope we won’t tie our interest level to this specific outcome. No matter what happens, this is an exceptional Navy team with the chance to do unprecedented things (at least in the modern era). The Mids are more than worth your attention.
Photo Credit: Kenya Allen/PressBox