Army West Point Black Knights Drop in National Rankings After Bye Week

The Army West Point Black Knights lost some of their standing in the AP Top 25 poll even though they didn’t play a game.

Nov 2, 2024; West Point, New York, USA; Army Black Knights defensive back Casey Larkin (20) celebrates his interception against the Air Force Falcons during the second half at Michie Stadium. / Danny Wild-Imagn Images

The Army West Point Black Knights made another move in the AP Top 25 poll on Sunday, as they dropped to No. 18 in the latest poll.

Army (9-0, 7-0 in American) was idle last week. But, while the Black Knights were off, they clinched a berth in the American Athletic Conference championship game against Tulane, which beat Navy.

That game, set for Dec. 6, will mark the first time the Black Knights will play for a conference title. The program has been independent, with the exception of seven years in Conference USA, where it never won more than two league games.

Army is preparing for a neutral site showdown with Notre Dame (9-1) on Saturday at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. It is, quite possibly, the biggest game the Black Knights have played in decades.

The Black Knights are ranked in the AP Top 25 for the sixth straight week. That’s their longest streak in the AP Top 25 since 1958, when Army was ranked wire-to-wire and finished the season No. 3 overall. It was also the last year the Black Knights beat Notre Dame and had a Heisman Trophy winner (Pete Dawkins).

Army was unranked until it cracked the Top 25 on Oct. 13 when it debuted at No. 23. The Black Knights held steady at No. 23 in the next poll.

On Oct. 27 Army moved up to No. 21, followed by a move to No. 18 on Nov. 3 and then No. 16 last week.

Army was ranked No. 24 in the most recent College Football Playoff Top 25. The Black Knights are the second-highest ranked Group of 5 team in the CFP rankings behind Boise State. The top-ranked champion of the Group of 5 conferences, including the American, Conference USA, the Mid-American, the Mountain West and the Sun Belt, will get an automatic invitation to the CFP.

Realistically, the Black Knights need to remain undefeated to have any chance to claiming that at-large berth. They also need Boise State, led by Heisman Trophy candidate running back Ashton Jeanty, to falter at some point.

When Army played Notre Dame in 1958, it was ranked No. 3 in the country and the Black Knights beat the Fighting Irish, 14-2, en route to an 8-0-1 season. Army has finished a season undefeated since. Army also hasn’t beaten Notre Dame in the last 15 meetings, dating back to that 1958 meeting.

The last time Army was ranked in the AP Top 25 when it played Notre Dame was in 1985. The Black Knights were No. 18. The Irish were unranked. Notre Dame won, 24-10, in South Bend.