Army West Point Black Knights Surge in College Football Playoff Rankings

The Army West Point Black Knights are hoping to boost their ranking when they face Notre Dame on Saturday.

Nov 2, 2024; West Point, New York, USA; Army Black Knights running back Tyrell Robinson (21) tries to get by Air Force Falcons defensive back Jamari Bellamy (3) during the first half at Michie Stadium. / Danny Wild-Imagn Images

In just a few days, the Army West Point Black Knights will play their biggest game in decades when they face the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

In the lead-up to the game, the Black Knights learned their latest ranking in the College Football Playoff Top 25, which was released on Tuesday night.

Army is now ranked No. 19, which is five spots up from last Tuesday, when the Black Knights were ranked No. 24.

Army (9-0, 7-0 in American) was ranked No. 18 in the AP Top 25, which was released on Sunday.

The Black Knights have been in the CFP Top 25 all three times the rankings have been released. Two weeks ago they were No. 25. Last week they moved up one spot to No. 24.

Army is preparing for a neutral site showdown with Notre Dame (9-1) on Saturday at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. The last time the Black Knights beat the Irish was in 1958, which also happens to be the last time Army went undefeated in a season (8-0-1).

Should the Black Knights win Saturday, their dream season would continue into their regular-season finale showdown at Michie Stadium against UTSA on Nov. 30, followed by the American Athletic Conference championship game against Tulane on Dec. 6.

At the moment, Army is one of three Group of 5 team ranked in the Top 25, behind Boise State (No. 12) but just ahead of Tulane (No. 20). In the new, expanded 12-team playoff, the top five conference champions receive automatic berths.

The expectation is that the champions of the ACC, the Big Ten, the Big 12 and the SEC will get the top four seeds and the first-round byes, leaving the fifth automatic bid to the highest-ranked conference champion from one of the Group of 5 conferences — the American, Conference USA, the Mid-American, the Mountain West and the Sun Belt.

If the playoff started today, that fifth bid would go to Boise State, which is undefeated in the Mountain West and has just one loss this season to No. 1 Oregon.

That’s why Army’s game on Saturday is so important. If the Black Knights lose to the Fighting Irish, it’s unlikely they would make the 12-team field, even if they claim the American championship next month.

The bid in the conference title is in its own way historic for the Black Knights. Long an independent, aside from a seven-year stretch in Conference USA, Army is in the league title game in its first year as an affiliate member for football. It will be the first time the program has played for a conference title.