--- title: "What happens to the Army-Navy Game when the college football playoff expands" date: "2026-11-10" modified: "2026-11-10" authors: - name: "Stephen Ruiz" job_title: "Editor, Writer" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/stephen.md" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/entertainment/what-happens-to-the-army-navy-game-when-the-college-football-playoff-expands/" categories: - "Entertainment" - "Sports" tags: - "Sports" --- # What happens to the Army-Navy Game when the college football playoff expands ![Navy football]() *The Navy Midshipmen celebrate with fans after defeating the Army Black Knights 17-16 in the 126th America's Game between the Army Black Knights and the Navy Midshipmen at M&T Bank Stadium on December 13, 2025 in Baltimore. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)* The Army Black Knights and Navy Midshipmen spent most of this college football season wondering what would happen to their annual rivalry game after 2026. They now have an answer. The Army-Navy Game, which dates to 1890, will move up one week to the first Saturday in December. The change will take effect for the 2027-2028 season and coincides with the announcement Monday of an expanded, 24-team college football playoff. **Also Read:** [**Air Force captures Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy while Navy edges Temple**]() With the bump from 12 to 24 playoff teams, the Southeastern Conference, Big Ten, Big 12, and Atlantic Coast Conference will eliminate their championship games. They played those title games on the first weekend in December. Without them, that opens a spot for the Army-Navy Game. The change preserves the historic matchup between the military service academies in a standalone window on CBS. In 2027, the 24-team playoff will begin on the second weekend in December. ### Army, Navy Approve of the Change ![FOXBOROUGH, MA - DECEMBER 09: Army Black Knights players celebrate at the conclusion of the 124th Army-Navy football game on December 9, 2023, at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, MA. (Photo by M. Anthony Nesmith/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)]() *FOXBOROUGH, MA - DECEMBER 09: Army Black Knights players celebrate at the conclusion of the 124th Army-Navy football game on December 9, 2023, at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, MA. (Photo by M. Anthony Nesmith/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) Icon Sportswire* Both Army and Navy greeted the news with relief that their rivalry will retain an exclusive spot on the college football calendar. “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 Army-Navy is a huge game, and we can appreciate the opportunity to have a standalone date for that.” Navy coach Brian Newberry shared a similar sentiment. “As long as the integrity of that game and exclusive rights for that window are good for us, I’m good with it,” Newberry [told the media via video](). How an expanded playoff would affect the Army-Navy Game has been a source of debate. It even reached the White House, with President Donald Trump signing an executive order in March. An executive order—in this case, it was titled [“Preserving America’s Game”]()—does not carry the same weight as legislation from Congress. Trump issued that executive order one month after Monken suggested the service academies move their game [to Thanksgiving weekend](). Navy quickly nixed the idea, with the academy’s athletic director, Michael Kelly, calling that proposed switch [“detrimental.”]() ### How We Got Here College football’s main tier, the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), has decided its champion through a playoff since 2014. For 10 years, that playoff consisted of four teams before the College Football Playoff board i[ncreased the number of eligible teams to 12]() in 2024. Ohio State won the first 12-team playoff, knocking off Notre Dame 34-23 on January 20, 2025, in Atlanta. Indiana is the reigning national champion after edging Miami 27-21 on January 19, 2025 in Miami Gardens. This season’s national championship game is January 25, 2027, at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. Before the FBS instituted a playoff, it determined its national champion through polls. ### Navy Leads the All-Time Series In the recent past, the Army-Navy Game has largely been played for bragging rights, but that was not always the case. Army was a national powerhouse in the 1940s, [earning two national championships]() during [World War II](). The rivalry has featured Heisman Trophy winners such as Felix “Doc” Blanchard (1945), Glenn Davis (1946), and Pete Dawkins (1958) of Army. College football’s top individual honor went to Navy’s Joe Bellino in 1960, and Midshipmen quarterback Roger Staubach took home the prize three years later. Navy [holds a 64-55-7 edge]() in its all-time series against Army. The Midshipmen have won the past two matchups, including a 17-16 squeaker last year in Baltimore. In their 13th season with Monken as their coach, the Black Knights are 5-4 overall and 4-2 in the American Conference this season. Newberry is in his fourth season leading the Midshipmen, who are 3-6 overall and 2-4 in the American. Both teams are idle this weekend. Army and Navy each have two regular-season games remaining before they collide on December 12, 2026, in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The game will kick off at 3 p.m. ET on CBS. This week’s announcement won’t affect how either team prepares for their matchup next month. “That game is something we prepare for year-round, to a certain extent, so it won’t change anything,” [Newberry said](). **Don’t Miss the Best of We Are The Mighty** **•** [**Army honors the 4th Infantry Division with its 2026 Army-Navy Game Uniforms**]() **•** [**Meet the only Heisman Trophy winner who died while serving during wartime**]() **•** [**Jeff Monken’s Army football culture is built on more than winning**]() ## Author Stephen Ruiz is an editor and writer at We Are The Mighty. His writing revolves mostly around military history and sports stories, but it can branch into other areas. Stephen has more than 35 years of journalism experience. His career began with stints at The Ledger newspaper in Lakeland, Florida, and The Kansas City Star in Missouri, but most of his time was spent on the copy desk at the Orlando Sentinel. After accepting a buyout from the Sentinel in 2020, Stephen worked at Military.com for 4½ years as a content editor and writer. He joined the We Are The Mighty staff in December 2025. ### Author social links [Facebook]() [Twitter]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]() ## More - [This Olympic event is based on soldier skills]() - [How a bidding war inspired a WWI veteran to push for an NFL draft]() - [Why the Pentagon tried to convince Pat Tillman not to become an Army Ranger]() - [The worst and best college football traditions in America]() - [NASCAR is coming to San Diego to turn Coronado into a racetrack]() - [Army, Navy, and Air Force football all notch wins in Week 1]() - [The military connection that started the San Antonio Spurs’ success]() - [The Army Black Knights are the cleanest team in college football]()