Army Black Knights Star Could Turn College Football Playoff Race Upside Down

One Army Black Knights player has the talent to turn shake up the College Football Playoff race down the stretch.

Nov 9, 2024; Denton, Texas, USA; Army Black Knights quarterback Bryson Daily (13) celebrates after scoring his second touchdown against the North Texas Mean Green during the second half at DATCU Stadium. / Danny Wild-Imagn Images

The Army Black Knights have been the biggest surprise in college football during the 2024 season.

9-0 entering their Week 12 bye, this has a chance to be one of the most successful campaigns in program history. There have been only three seasons they have surpassed nine wins and it is already the best they have done in conference play.

In the history of Army, they have only nine conference wins; they already have seven this year with two remaining before a potential American Athletics Conference championship game.

One of the reasons they are finding so much success has been the performance of their quarterback, Bryson Daily. The fourth-year player has been performing at an incredibly high level despite battling some injuries.

In eight appearances, he has rushed for 1,062 yards on 172 attempts with a AAC leading 21 touchdowns. There has been some success through the air for the unique option offense, as he completed 29-of-51 passes for 644 yards and seven touchdowns with only one interception.

His efficiency has improved a lot across the board, which has made this offensive attack even tougher to game plan and defend against.

With just a few weeks remaining in the season, can Daily keep up this level of play and help the Black Knights crash the College Football Playoff? He is certainly talented enough, as Bill Connelly of ESPN highlighted him as one of three players capable of playing spoiler down the stretch.

“Army's option offense went to a new place with Daily, only for him to get hurt midseason. After averaging more than 40 points through seven games, the Black Knights have scored just 34 combined in their last two games, the first against Air Force without Daily and the second upon Daily's return. The Black Knights are still unbeaten, and if their QB is 100% in two weeks, they could give Notre Dame trouble. They could also massively frustrate someone in the first round of the CFP if they get there. But that's only if Daily is 100 percent.”

This bye week could do wonders for Army’s chance of shaking up the CFP picture. If Daily is operating at or close to 100 percent, good luck slowing this unit down.

Their methodical play wears down opponents, as they had one drive against North Texas that took up nearly an entire quarter of play. Limiting possessions with a stellar running game and stout defense is a recipe for success.

A matchup in Week 13 against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and potential meeting with the Tulane Green Wave in the AAC Championship Game could give the Black Knights enough of a resume boost, should they win, to earn a spot in the CFP.