Army Football: 2017 season preview, predictions

In 2016, the Black Knights made a bowl game for the first time in six seasons. Can Army football get back to eight wins and beat Navy a second straight year?

Last season, Army ended a six-year bowl drought and returned to the postseason for just the second time in the 21st century. The Black Knights also knocked off Navy for the first time since 2001 in their annual showdown in Philadelphia. And with a win in the Heart of Dallas Bowl, Army reached eight victories for the first time in two decades.

Independence is becoming tougher and tougher to maintain in the modern era of college football. At this point, the United States Military Academy is the only one of the service academies to remain outside a conference. The Black Knights joined Conference USA in 1998 as a single-sport member of the league. By 2004, though, they had elected to leave C-USA to return to independence.

Winning seasons are rare at West Point. 2016 might just have been a rare confluence of success at all three service academies. But the Black Knights have a returning roster of veteran players as well as a manageable schedule in 2017.

Another bowl appearance is completely within reach for Jeff Monken’s squad. Will the Black Knights reach that level of performance and return to the postseason this year? Click ahead read our preview of Army’s offense and defense and our predictions for the upcoming Black Knights season.