Army West Point Black Knights Achieve Program First in Conference Debut

The Army West Point Black Knights will do something next month that the football program has never done before.

Nov 2, 2024; West Point, New York, USA; Army Black Knights quarterback Dewayne Coleman (10) smiles after leading his team to a 20-3 win against the Air Force Falcons at Michie Stadium. / Danny Wild-Imagn Images

The Army West Point Black Knights made history on Saturday and they didn’t even have to play a football game.

The Black Knights clinched a berth in the American Athletic Conference championship game after Tulane defeated Navy, 35-0.

By winning the Green Wave (9-2, 7-0 in American) clinched their title game berth and will face the Black Knights (9-0, 7-0) on Dec. 6 at a site to be determined.

Army clinched its berth because Navy (7-3, 5-2) dropped out of contention for the league title game.

When the Black Knights take on the Green Wave, it will be a program first. It will be the first time Army will play in a conference championship game.

The Black Knights joined the AAC this year as an affiliate member for football. They play the majority of their other sports in the Patriot League.

Before that, Army had only been a member of a conference one other time. From 1998-2004 the Black Knights were in Conference USA.

Their stint in that league did not go well. Army went 13-67 in seven seasons, including an 0-13 season in 2003. The Black Knights never won more than to league games in any season.

After the 2004 campaign Army went back to being an independent in football until this year.

Before Army joined C-USA, the program was independent in football since it was founded in 1890. That independence spanned more than a century, which include five recognized national championships and three Heisman Trophy winners — Doc Blanchard (1945), Glenn Davis (1946) and Pete Dawkins (1958).

While Army’s game with Tulane will determine the AAC champion, there is much more on the line for both teams. The Green Wave has one game remaining against Memphis on Thanksgiving Day. Army faces Notre Dame next week and UTSA the following week.

Army also has its annual showdown with Navy the Saturday after the AAC title game. The contest is not a conference game.

Both the Black Knights and the Green Wave are ranked in the College Football Playoff Top 25 rankings, with Army at No. 24 and Tulane at No. 25. The highest-ranked conference champion from one of the Group of 5 conferences will be selected as an at-large team for the expanded CFP this year.

Right now, Boise State is ranked No. 12, well ahead of both.

Army, which is also ranked in the AP Top 25, will learn that new ranking on Sunday and its updated CFP ranking on Tuesday. The Notre Dame game would well determine if the Black Knights have a chance to reach the CFP.