After Action broke the big news last year that set the sports world on fire: The Army-Navy game would be the only top-tier college football contest that would not at all influence the College Football Playoff selection process. Sure, neither the Midshipmen nor the Black Knights were on anybody’s national-championship radar. And yes, that radar hasn’t covered Annapolis or West Point since the 1960s. Still, the fact that the contest takes place with the CFP field already locked in creates the possibility of a highly regarded service academy team earning a chance to play for the national title … then getting demolished…
Browsing: ESPN
When he’s not busy riding a horse to training camp, Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly is entering heavy preparations for the 2014 college football season. That prep involves chalk talks, two-a-day workouts and, naturally, talking to ESPN reporters. Regardless of what Navy fans think of Kelly, or the Fighting Irish, or horses, they should be pleased with a response he gave to a recent ESPN poll, asking coaches of the so-called “Power Five” schools about scheduling preferences. A quick primer: The Power Five consists of teams in the Atlantic Coast, Big Ten, Big 12, Southeastern and Pacific-12 football conferences…
Aside from the typical midseason TV-directed time changes (more on them later), the 2014 service academy slate is just about set. And as sweltering summer temperatures signal the beginning of full-pad practices and traditional preseason speculation, here’s a few things for the more-than-casual academy football fan to take notice of: 1. A normal Saturday slate. Aside from a trio of games in late November, including two on the day after Thanksgiving, every service academy game will be played during a time typically reserved for college football. Last year, Air Force alone played four non-Saturday games. 2. Mids going big time:…
(Updated May 28) Note the big asterisk — all of the times and networks are subject to change, but here’s a composite schedule for academy football fans entering the 2013 schedule. Bookmark this page and check back for updates. All times Eastern. Click the links for channel availability in your area. Friday, Aug. 30 Morgan State at Army, 7 p.m., CBS Sports Network Saturday, Aug. 31 Colgate at Air Force, time/TV TBA Saturday, Sept. 7 Army at Ball State, time/TV TBA Utah State at Air Force, 3:30 p.m., CBS Sports Network Navy at Indiana, 6 p.m., Big Ten Network Friday,…
Navy football fans who didn’t want the Mids in the Big East will get their wish. Sorta. Per multiple reports, including one from the network that landed the conference’s future media rights, the so-called “Catholic 7” basketball teams that are leaving the Big East will purchase the name and take it with them when they depart next season. No fee has been announced, but one report speculates the name could be worth $8 million to $10 million. The move has generated positive publicity for the departing basketball schools, who’ll return the league name to the hoops roots it began with…
Navy football fans will be tuning into the ESPN family of networks to watch the Mids’ conference debut in 2015, thanks to a seven-year, $130 million deal expected to be approved by conference presidents as early as today. The package reportedly pays $20 million a year for football and basketball rights by the time Navy joins up; right now, the league would have 11 members in 2015, so that’s about $1.8 million per school — less if the league expands to a more stable 12 teams, and even less for Navy, which wouldn’t get any basketball-related revenue. It means less…
Navy football fans line up on both sides of the should-we-have-joined-a-conference debate. One side just got a bunch more ammunition. The Big East, which will be the home of the Mids come 2015, reportedly has been offered a deal by the NBC Sports Network that would be worth between $20 and $23 million a season. That works out to less than $2 million per school, and likely would be even less for the football-only Naval Academy. But it will be much, much less than previous estimates. In December, before seven of the league’s nonfootball members took their legacy basketball programs…
With wins last weekend, both the Navy Midshipmen and the Air Force Falcons improved to 5-3 on the season, one win away from bowl eligibility. Navy has no teams above .500 remaining on its schedule and hosts 2-6 Florida Atlantic this Saturday; Air Force visits 1-6 Army on Saturday and has a date with Hawaii (1-6) in Colorado Springs on Nov. 16. Coaches and players can’t take wins for granted, but bowl projections have to. And if some of the most well-known postseason guessers — CBSSports.com’s Jerry Palm, college football wizard Phil Steele and ESPN projectors Mark Schlabach and Brad…
Three quick hits for a Thursday while you review your summer swim safety techniques: 1. Stann speaks. Straight from “The All-American” himself: No one is more disappointed than I, meant the world to headline a UFC, seperated shoulder, rehab will start tomorrow, back asap, apologies — Brian Stann (@BrianStann) June 6, 2012 Stann will miss his scheduled main-event middleweight fight with Hector Lombard, set for Aug. 4 in Los Angeles. The UFC’s web site now lists Mauricio “Shogun” Rua vs. Brandon Vera as the main event at 205 pounds. Reports have Lombard facing Tim Boetsch at UFC 149 in July,…
Full details of the basketball game in San Diego on an aircraft carrier on Veterans Day 2011 haven’t been released, but there already are plans afoot to hold the event in the following two years. Michigan State athletic director Mark Hollis told the Lansing (Mich.) State Journal this week that the Spartans could play on a carrier in 2012 and 2013.
