Army West Point Black Knights Plummet in Rankings After Notre Dame Loss

The Army West Point Black Knights had hoped for a better showing when they faced Notre Dame on Saturday, and voters noticed.

Nov 23, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Army Black Knights quarterback Bryson Daily (13) carries the ball against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the second half at Yankee Stadium. / Danny Wild-Imagn Images

There wasn’t much for the Army West Point Black Knights to feel good about after their 49-14 loss to Notre Dame on Saturday.

The AP Top 25 voters gave the Black Knights one vote of confidence — Army didn’t fall entirely out of the Top 25.

The Black Knights were No. 25 in Sunday’s updated poll, a seven-spot drop from No. 18 the previous week. It was the second straight week Army (9-1 7-0 in American) dropped in the poll. Its move from No. 16 to No. 18 the week before came while the Black Knights were on a bye.

But, it ensured that Army was ranked for the seventh straight week, which remains 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).

Of course, the Black Knights were hoping to recapture some of that magic at Yankee Stadium. But, the Fighting Irish took a 14-0 first-quarter lead, were up 28-7 at halftime and never looked back. Notre Dame (10-1) moved up to No. 5 after the victory.

There is still plenty for the Black Knights to play for, starting this weekend in West Point when they host UTSA.

Army has already clinched a berth in the American Athletic Conference title game and needs a win over the Roadrunners to complete a perfect conference season. The Black Knights have never won a conference title before and they’re attempting to do so in their first season as an affiliate member of the AAC.

The Black Knights will play Tulane in the title game, and it's not yet clear who will host the contest. There is a chance that both teams could wind up undefeated in conference play. If so, the host site could come down to the team's ranking in the College Football Playoff Top 25 this week, which is released on Tuesday.

In that case, the higher-ranked team will host. Army is surely set to move down from its No. 19 perch of a week ago. Tulane was right behind them at No. 20 last week and did not play this past weekend.

Among the other things Army is on the verge of accomplishing is a 10-win season, something the Black Knights haven’t done since they won 11 games in 2018. Army also won 10 games in 2017.

The Black Knights have never won 12 games in a single season, but that also remains on the table, as they have four games remaining — UTSA, the AAC title game, Navy and a bowl game.