NEWPORT, R.I.-- The Naval Academy has been sailing through the waters of college football as an independent for the past 134 seasons. But the Midshipmen have finally weighed anchor as a member of the American Athletic Conference and will begin play this fall.
The Midshipmen have always been a class act. They are a national program with a service academy profile and an impressive resume. They have won at least eight games in 11 of the last 12 seasons and have made 10 bowl appearances in the last 11 years.
They have an excellent coach in Ken Niumatalolo, who teaches a sophisticated version of the triple option offense that has traditionally caused fits for teams like Notre Dame (Navy beat the Irish in 2009 and 2010).