The annual Army-Navy football game will move one week earlier starting next year to avoid scheduling conflicts with the expanded College Football Playoff, according to the Associated Press.
The 128th edition of the storied rivalry will take place in Philadelphia on Saturday, Dec. 4, 2027, instead of its usual slot on Dec. 11. The adjustment follows the playoff’s expansion from 12 to 24 teams.
“As long as the integrity of that game and exclusive rights for that window are good for us, I’m good with it,” Navy coach Brian Newberry said on a video call with reporters. “Everybody knows how important that game is. But to maintain that exclusive window, to honor the game the way it should be honored, I’m really pleased with that.”
The matchup has maintained a tradition on the second Saturday of December since 2009. The series dates back to 1890.
“It means a lot to college football and to our country,” Army coach Jeff Monken said Tuesday.
“I’m just curious to see how it goes as we move forward. Will all the weekends in December start to get captured by the playoff? There’s a lot of competition for TV time, and certainly the Army-Navy came is a huge game and we appreciate the opportunity to have a standalone date for that.”
In March, an executive order was signed by President Donald Trump prohibiting the CFP and other postseason matchups from broadcasting simultaneously with Army-Navy. The White House did not immediately respond to a message Monday from The Associated Press seeking comment.
“The Army-Navy game is one of those games that carries meaning that far extends beyond the football field,” said B. David Tyler, a professor of sport management at UMass who has studied sports rivalries. “Preserving that and preserving the stories and the narratives that come with it are important enough to warrant special exceptions in college football and in this new playoff era.”
Tim Pernetti, commissioner of the American Conference where Army and Navy hold membership, said that the modification safeguards the importance of the matchup.
“This common-sense approach expands access, strengthens schedules, brings more postseason games to campus and keeps more programs in the playoff hunt, delivering meaningful competition and memorable experiences for fans,” Pernetti said in a statement.
A committee selects 19 at-large choices alongside a guaranteed CFP berth reserved for the top-ranked program from the Group of 6, a grouping that features the American.
“This gives that opportunity for them to compete,” Tyler said.
“If, in fact, we’ve got an opportunity at some point in the future to be the top-ranked Group of Six team — and I hope someday we will be — that we’ll have the opportunity to do both: to play in the biggest rivalry in college football and then be able to play in the playoffs,” Monken said.
“Certainly a lot of things got to happen. You’ve got to win a lot of football games, got to have a great football team in order to do that.”
This year’s game will be played at the Meadowlands in New Jersey on Dec. 12. Scheduling the contest a week earlier enables Naval Academy competitors to complete their matchup against Army ahead of fall semester final exams.
Uncertainty remains regarding whether Army and Navy will retain a bye week leading up to their yearly clash next year or in subsequent seasons. The stakes remain high no matter the timing.
“Obviously that game is something we prepare for year-round, to a certain extent,” Newberry said, “so it won’t change anything.”
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