Navy AD open to moving Army game to accommodate CFP schedule

There's a lot of discussion taking place about the college football playoff and what an expanded field might mean for the regular season schedule. For one thing, it might mean that the Army-Navy annual classic might have to be played at a different time of the season.

The tilt, which is usually played on the second Saturday of December, could get bumped if an expanded college football playoff needs to start earlier in the month. There has been some pushback in that regard, but Navy athletic director Michael Kelly is open to moving the game to another date on the calendar.

“There’s bound to be a way to thread a needle on this, to find something that’s so great for the enterprise (of college football) and still preserves an important American asset like the Army-Navy game,” Kelly toldThe Athletic.

While Kelly is reportedly open to moving the game back one week, he is also protective of the idea that the game needs to remain its own special event.

“We all have to be flexible, and the primary focus is to make sure we continue to work together, to give it to the best audience that it can be. That’s kind of been the focus. But for us, the whole thing from day one in this was maintaining an exclusive window.”

The rivalry dates back to 1890, with Navy leading the all-time series 64-55-7. Navy has beaten Army in each of the last two years.

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