Army Future Schedules

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

West Point released Army's future schedules to the press. Included are home and home series against Stanford, Wake Forest, and Temple, games against an assortment of MAC teams plus Army continues their Magical Football History Tour with a Yale Bowl centennial matchup in New Haven.


Speaking of stadiums Bleacher Report lists the most memorable touchdowns in each stadium. I'm not even going to take issue with Randy Moss's play being named the most memorable play at Michie. I will however note that Navy only played one game at Michie Stadium (1943), so you would have to have a pretty good memory to list Navy/Army among Michie Stadium's most memorable games.


Sadly, the future schedules show that Army will take a break from playing Tulane, instead playing games in the state of California in two of the next four seasons.




I love the addition of the Yale game, Army and Yale have played 45 times, the Bulldogs hold a 21-16-8 series lead. There may be a cost, to that game though.


Army was interested in coming to New Haven as a signature game during the historic 2014 season, but there was concern whether the game would count towards making the Cadets bowl eligible since Yale plays at the Football Championship Subdivision level.

Yale director of athletics Tom Beckett said no waiver has been signed, but Army is planning to honor the contract regardless of whether or not the game counts towards being bowl eligible.

Beckett said the NCAA doesn’t normally review waiver requests until 1½ years before the game is played, which means that would not happen until the winter of 2012.

“We’re hoping we are viewed as a countable opponent and will go through the waiver process,” Beckett said. “They have agreed to come and we are honored they are coming to New Haven.”

I like that Army scheduled Fordham again - and that they scheduled them later down the line. I really think Fordham has its football program headed in the right direction and I think they can be competitive at Michie Stadium in 2014. I reject the idea that Fordham is rudderless, and suggest that the Patriot League is without direction.
Its all added to the murky situation in the Patriot League, as Fordham continues to build its scholarship count from 14 to 32 this season – a number which will eventually reach 60 – and the League presidents continue to push back a final decision.
 Fordham is an associate member of the league for football – its other sports compete in the Atlantic-10 – so the question becomes, is it even worth it for the Rams to stay when the current agreement ends in 2012?

While the Rams haven’t given an ultimatum about jumping ship, it is a possibility that concerns Femovich.
“We don’t want to lose Fordham and that’s why we’ve structured this current agreement,” Femovich said. “We definitely want them to continue with the league and I think that’s a mutual interest.”
 Well Fordham is going to advance in stature with or without the league (my guess is without). Maybe it is in Fordham's best interest to try to make waves in the CAA. Competitive or not Fordham would give the CAA a foothold in New York City and that move would raise the profiles of both the Rams and the CAA.

Anyway, my weird conference alignment wishes aside here's the future schedules as released by the US Military Academy

2011

Sept. 3 at Northern Illinois 7 p.m.

Sept. 10 SAN DIEGO STATE 12 p.m.

Sept. 17 NORTHWESTERN 3:30 p.m.

Sept. 24 at Ball State 2 p.m.

Oct. 1 TULANE 12 p.m.

Oct. 8 at Miami (Ohio) 1 p.m.

Oct. 22 at Vanderbilt TBA

Oct. 29 FORDHAM 3:30 p.m.

Nov. 5 at Air Force 3:30 p.m.

Nov. 12 RUTGERS (Yankee Stadium) 3:30 p.m.

Nov. 19 at Temple 1 p.m.

Dec. 10 vs. Navy (FedEx Field) 2:30 p.m.


2012

Sept. 8 at San Diego State

Sept. 15 NORTHERN ILLINOIS

Sept. 22 at Wake Forest

Sept. 29 STONY BROOK

Oct. 6 at Boston College

Oct. 13 KENT STATE

Oct. 20 at Eastern Michigan

Oct. 27 BALL STATE

Nov. 3 AIR FORCE (Yankee Stadium)

Nov. 10 at Rutgers

Nov. 17 TEMPLE

Dec. 8 vs. Navy (Lincoln Financial Field)


2013

Aug. 31 MORGAN STATE

Sept. 7 at Ball State

Sept. 14 STANFORD

Sept. 21 WAKE FOREST

Sept. 28 at Louisiana Tech

Oct. 5 BOSTON COLLEGE

Oct. 12 EASTERN MICHIGAN

Oct. 19 at Temple

Nov. 2 at Air Force

Nov. 9 WESTERN KENTUCKY

Nov. 30 at Hawai’i

Dec. 14 vs. Navy (Lincoln Financial Field)


2014