Three takeaways from the 122nd Army-Navy Game

Did Army-Navy come down to schedule difficulty?

Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo felt confident about his football team coming into the game despite their 3-8 record. Niumatalolo said that the Middies were an improving football team, peaking at the right time.

There were some subtle digs at the Army not being tested as much this season. The veteran Navy coach seemed to be correct. The Midshipmen had only been non-competitive in three games this season (Marshall, Air Force, and Notre Dame).

Four of Navy’s eight losses were one-possession games, including a close seven-point loss to Cincinnati and a three-point loss to East Carolina on a field goal as time expired. If those games go a different way, the narrative about the Midshipmen would have been different coming into this afternoon’s game.

Navy’s strength of schedule came in at 50 while the Army’s schedule was 74th. Navy had one Power Five opponent on its schedule and one Playoff team. The Army had one Power Five opponent on its schedule and played an FCS team.

In addition, the Black Knights played two of the worst teams in FBS (UMass and UConn) this season. What does this tell us about today’s game?

Nothing, quite possibly and a lot at the same time. Navy played like they knew they could beat Army. That has a lot to do with the rivalry, but it also has a lot to do with playing close games against quality opponents this season.