Coach Ken Niumatalolo's Middies will not be sneaking up on any teams this year. (Navy photo)
You want respect? How about falling into Rivals.com’s pre-season top 25? Navy hasn’t finished the season in the AP or BCS top 25 to finish a season since 2004, but the return of the Magic Man, quarterback Ricky Dobbs, has Rivals.com believing in the Midshipmen.
Rivals.com has Navy ranked No. 23 in its 120 team countdown saying the Midshipmen have a real chance at finishing the season with 10 wins. A look at their schedule combined with the results coach Ken Niumatalolo has garnered since taking over for Paul Johnson will make a believer in most college football analysts.
Outside a road game at Air Force, Navy would probably enter every other game on its schedule as the favorite if the games were played tomorrow. How the season plays out might change that fact, most notably against Notre Dame, but Navy enter this season with high expectations from inside and outside the program.
