Army Football: 2017 season preview, predictions
By Zach Bigalke
2017 schedule
| WEEK | DATE | OPPONENT | LOCATION |
| 1 | Sept. 1 | vs. FCS Fordham | West Point, NY |
| 2 | Sept. 9 | vs. Buffalo | West Point, NY |
| 3 | Sept. 16 | at Ohio State | Columbus, Ohio |
| 4 | Sept. 23 | at Tulane | New Orleans, La. |
| 5 | Sept. 30 | vs. UTEP | West Point, NY |
| 6 | Oct. 7 | at Rice | Houston, Texas |
| 7 | Oct. 14 | vs. Eastern Michigan | West Point, NY |
| 8 | Oct. 21 | vs. Temple | West Point, NY |
| 9 | Oct. 28 | BYE WEEK | |
| 10 | Nov. 4 | at Air Force | Colorado Springs, Co. |
| 11 | Nov. 11 | vs. Duke | West Point, NY |
| 12 | Nov. 18 | at North Texas | Denton, Texas |
| 13 | Nov. 25 | BYE WEEK | |
| 14 | Dec. 2 | BYE WEEK | |
| 15 | Dec. 9 | vs. Navy | Philadelphia, Penn. |
For an independent like Army, every game is a non-conference game. You can really break their opponents into several types, though.
The most important are the other service academies. Army plays Air Force in Colorado Springs on Nov. 4 and the annual Army-Navy Game in Philadelphia on Dec. 9. All three schools should be good again in 2017, making it an uphill battle for the Black Knights to capture their first Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy since 1996.
Then there is the season opener against FCS Fordham, a historic matchup three-quarters of a century past its point of national relevance. The lower-division team is its own category, though the Rams are probably a better team than the next tier of opponents. That third group, Group of Five teams that did not go bowling in 2016, consists of Buffalo, Tulane, UTEP and Rice.
Then there are the Group of Five schools that did go bowling last year. In addition to the other service academies, it also includes Eastern Michigan, Temple, and North Texas. The Mean Green are a special case. They went to the postseason in 2016 despite a 5-7 regular season thanks to a lack of qualified teams coupled with a high academic standing.
And then there is one last group made up of the two Power Five schools, Ohio State and Duke, that round out the regular season for Army in 2017. The Black Knights have to travel to Columbus, but they host the Blue Devils at Michie Stadium.
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Prediction: 9-3
Looking at the schedule that way, the Black Knights should win all their games against the second and third groups of teams. The Fordham win could be the closest of the bunch, though Tulane presents the toughest test among last year’s sub-.500 schools. That would put them needing just one win from the other three groups combined.
The Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy could be attainable this year, with Navy fielding an inexperienced offense and Air Force a young defense. But a 1-1 split is more likely. Then give them wins against Eastern Michigan and North Texas and the path is there for eight wins. A win over Duke could push them to nine, and then double digits would be possible with a victory in the Armed Forces Bowl.