Navy will be looking to snap a four-game losing streak against fellow service academies on Saturday when the Midshipmen travel to Air Force for the season's first Commander-in-Chief's Trophy contest. The Midshipmen are off to a 4-0 start but have dropped four straight against the Falcons, who are seeking to recover from a 1-3 start to the season.
While Navy's aspirations of winning the AAC and potentially competing for the Group of Five's automatic bid to the College Football Playoff have taken center stage early this season, the showdown with Air Force brings a totally different goal into focus. The Midshipmen last won the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy in 2019 and are seeking to recapture the ultimate symbol of service academy bragging rights.
Saturday's showdown is the first of three in the race for the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy, all of which will be televised by CBS. Army hosts Air Force on Nov. 2 in the second leg before the all-important Army vs. Navy game on Dec. 14.
With Army and Navy both 4-0 in the same season for the first time since 1945, the fight for the service academy superiority is shaping up to be particularly captivating this season. As that battle gets underway, here are some things to know about the quest for the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy.
How to watch Navy vs. Air Force live
Date: Saturday, Oct. 5 | Time: Noon ET
Location: Falcon Stadium -- Air Force Academy, Colorado
TV: CBS | Live stream: CBSSports.com, CBS Sports App (Free)
Streaming on Paramount+ with Showtime (Try It Free)
Commander-in-Chief's Trophy history
The Commander-in-Chief's Trophy was established for the 1972 season, and all three programs have enjoyed runs of success in the series. Air Force leads the way with 21 trophies, followed by Navy with 16 and Army with 10. However, the Black Knights have won or retained the trophy in five of the past seven seasons.
Navy's golden era came between 2003-09 when the Midshipmen won seven straight Commander-in-Chief's Trophies. Air Force also won it five times in a seven-year span between 2010-16 after dominating the series in the 1990s and early 2000s. The winning team typically visits the White House, where the president presents the the trophy, which is engraved with each of the academy's seals.
A split won't do it for Navy
If Army, Air Force and Navy each finish 1-1 in their round-robin series this season, Army will retain the trophy since the Black Knights won it outright in 2023. Thus, a mere split won't be good enough for Navy. If the Midshipmen seniors are going to graduate knowing what it's like to hoist the trophy, they must beat both Air Force and Army.
Early returns suggest the Midshipmen are capable of doing it. They are still running the football roughly 75% of the time, but deploy a more dynamic offense than a typical service academy team. With first-year coordinator Drew Cronin calling the shots, quarterback Blake Horvath is enjoying a monster season. The junior has completed 30 of 44 passes for 637 yards with seven touchdowns and has also totaled 450 yards on the ground with eight rushing touchdowns.
In a 41-18 win at UAB last week, he became the first FBS quarterback this season to throw two touchdown passes of 70-plus yards in the same game. The Midshipmen have been particularly dominant in the second quarter, outscoring opponents by a margin of 71-9, which is second in the FBS behind Tennessee. A 21-3 second quarter edge was particularly helpful for Navy in a head-turning 56-44 win over Memphis in Week 3.
While the same goes for Air Force -- they need to beat both Navy and Army to win this year's trophy -- their seniors have experienced CIC glory since the Falcons won the series in 2022 with a 13-10 win over Navy and a 13-7 win over Army.
Air Force looking to rebound
In his 18th year, Air Force's Troy Calhoun is the longest-tenured of the three service academy coaches. He has five Commander-in-Chief's Trophies to his credit during that time. The Falcons have also established themselves as a powerful force in the Mountain West under his leadership, going 25-13 in league action over the past six seasons. Air Force has won four bowls in that span, including last year's Armed Forces Bowl.
However, the Falcons are off to an uncharacteristically slow start in 2024 and look to avoid falling to 1-4 for the first time since 2017. It marks a stark contrast from last season, when Air Force entered its game with Navy at 6-0 and ranked No. 22 in the AP poll. The Falcons reached 8-0 and peaked at No. 17 before finishing 9-4.
A sluggish rushing attack is one of the culprits as Air Force is averaging just 176.8 yards on the ground. If that mark holds, it would be Air Force's lowest rushing yards per game since 1980. For service academies, an inability to move the sticks and dominate time of possession can be particularly problematic. It puts stress on their on defenses and can lead to situations where comebacks are necessary, which is tough for option-oriented offenses.
What if Army, Navy keep winning?
Army is in its first year as a member of the AAC and faces a relatively easy league schedule after it was previously independent. The Black Knights and Midshipmen are each off to a 3-0 starts in league play, which raises the possibility that Army and Navy could meet in the AAC Championship Game on Friday, Dec. 6. If it happens, they would still play their originally scheduled game on Dec. 14, and the Dec. 14 contest counts toward the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy.
However, the Dec. 14 game will have no bearing on the CFP with the first-ever 12-team field being announced on Dec. 8. Though Boise State and UNLV from the Mountain West appear to have established themselves as the teams to beat in the race for the Group of Five's automatic bid to the CFP, Sportsline gave Navy a 13.8% chance of reaching the CFP this week.