Army football is 11–1 after an impressive performance in the American Athletic Conference championship game against Tulane on Friday, a 35–14 beatdown of one of the best Group of 5 teams in the country.
The Black Knights have been in the College Football Playoff discussions as a potential automatic bid recipient throughout the season. The five highest-ranked conference champions receive bids to the Playoff, making room for at least one Group of Five program. Following Boise State's win in the Mountain West championship, Army is on the outside looking in for that spot, but AAC commissioner Tim Pernetti absolutely believes the team is deserving of a chance to compete for a national championship.
"Army has earned its opportunity to compete for the national championship," Pernetti told Sports Illustrated. "With 11 wins, a conference championship, a Heisman Trophy candidate in Bryson Daily, the best offensive line in the nation and balance across all three phases, they are as talented, well-coached and well-prepared as any team in the nation. Army played a near perfect game to win the American title last night in their first year. They didn’t punt, turn the ball over or commit one penalty. I don’t think anyone wants to face their unique style with a national championship on the line.”
Unfortunately for Army, that one loss will likely wind up being a dealbreaker for the selection committee. The Black Knights were blown out in their biggest game of the season so far, 49–14, by a likely Playoff-bound Notre Dame. One could certainly argue that on balance, Army was more impressive week-to-week than Boise State for a large portion of the season, but Boise State's sole loss came by just three points at No. 1 Oregon.
The Broncos came in at No. 10 in Tuesday's penultimate CFP rankings reveal, while Army is down at No. 24. As a result, the more likely path for the Black Knights is to jump the eventual Big 12 champion, though it is nearly impossible to see how that will happen, as Arizona State and Iowa State are ranked No. 15 and No. 16, respectively. Saturday's Big 12 championship kicks off at noon ET from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Army won't get the chance to play for the national championship, as Pernetti believes they should, but plenty still lies ahead for the best Black Knights team in years. They will face archrival Navy, which is also having a breakout season at 8–3, next week in the annual Army-Navy Game in Landover, Md., and will have a bowl game to play after that.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as AAC Commissioner Argues That Army Has Earned CFP Bid After 'Near Perfect' Title Game.
