Army Black Knights Could Make Things Weird with Win Over Notre Dame

The Army Black Knights could make the College Football Playoff situation much more weird with a win over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish Saturday.

Nov 9, 2024; Denton, Texas, USA; Army Black Knights head coach Jeff Monken speaks to his players in the locker room after a 14-3 victory against the North Texas Mean Green at DATCU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Danny Wild-Imagn Images / Danny Wild-Imagn Images

The improbable season continues for the Army Black Knights as they have dominated each and every opponent that has stood in their way, en route to a 9-0 record. While they have beaten the teams that have been in front of them, their schedule has been one of the weakest in college football, though that does take a drastic turn next Saturday.

The Black Knights are set to face the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on November 23rd, currently ranked eighth in the College Football Playoff rankings. It will be Army's toughest test of the regular season, and should they win, it would make the College Football Playoff picture fairly weird.

"Notre Dame is a heavy favorite to make the postseason," writes J.J. Bailey of The Athletic, "but the Fighting Irish have a loss to Northern Illinois. Army is undefeated and hadn’t trailed all season until last week (briefly falling behind 3-0). The Black Knights’ schedule is so soft they barely cracked the top 25 in the first committee rankings, but what happens if they beat the Irish? It would end Notre Dame’s postseason hopes while giving Army a quality win."

Not only have the Black Knights not trailed in a game until their 3-0 deficit last Saturday, but they have utterly decimated their competition throughout the year. They have outscored their opponents 317-93, more than tripling their opposition's combined scoring output.

Army has held opponents to 10 or fewer points in six of their nine contests, holding the opponents of their previous two matchups to three each. While the defense has smothered the competition repeatedly, the offense has scored with ease, tallying 40 or more points in five of their nine games this year.

Senior quarterback Bryson Daily has been a big part of that success this year. In eight games, the quarterback has tallied 644 yards through the air with seven touchdowns and only one interception on 29 of 51 passing, while adding 1,062 yards rushing with 21 touchdowns on 174 attempts.

The Black Knights beating the Fighting Irish next Saturday would not guarantee the program a spot in the College Football Playoffs. They would still need the Boise State Broncos to lose down the stretch, as they are currently the highest-ranked Group of Five program, sitting in 14th, and would earn a berth over Army should they win their conference championship.

All that Army can do now is continue to win and let the chips fall where they will. Winning is much easier said than done, however, with your next opponent being top 10 in the nation.