It’s been another good year for Navy football.
Even after last week’s loss to Temple in the American Athletic Conference’s title game, the Midshipmen are 9-3, with victories over Notre Dame and Houston. They are favored to beat archrival Army on Saturday for the 15th consecutive year. And two days before Christmas, Navy will end its season by playing Louisiana Tech in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl, which has a payout of $600,000 per team.
This season is not an anomaly. The United States Naval Academy may not be Alabama or Michigan, but it plays a serious brand of Division I football.