Navy Midshipmen Fall in Power Rankings After Second Consecutive Loss

The Navy Midshipmen continue to struggle, with their second consecutive loss seeing them fall in latest power rankings.

Oct 26, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Navy Midshipmen running back Eli Heidenreich (22) can not secure a punt during the second half against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The Navy Midshipmen started the 2024 season off strong, looking to put together one of the best campaigns in their football program's long and storied history.

The Midshipmen began the year with six consecutive wins, fighting their way into the top 25, before losing in blowout fashion to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in a neutral site matchup.

Just one week later, Navy would go on the road to square off with the Rice Owls, a team with a 2-6 record, but the hangover from last week's loss would prove too strong and the Midshipmen would drop their second consecutive contest.

Every week, Chris Vannini of The Athletic gives his college football power rankings for all 134 programs in Division I.

In the latest iteration of those power rankings, Vannini has Navy in 40th, after placing 27th in last week's.

At one time, the Midshipmen were considered a favorite to win the American Athletic Conference and shared undefeated honors with the Army Black Knights, something that has not happened in decades.

Now, Navy is fighting to keep this hiccup from becoming a full-blown implosion, as the team has four games left to play, with two coming against daunting opponents.

Quarterback Blake Horvath has led the offense this year, throwing for 1,096 yards with 10 touchdowns and four interceptions on 63 of 106 passing, while adding 814 yards rushing and 12 touchdowns on 109 carries.

Horvath joins Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Jalen Milroe, New Mexico Lobos' Devin Dampier, and Washington State Cougars' John Mateer as the only four signal callers in the country to have double-digit rushing and passing touchdowns.

Horvath has not been the only bright spot for the Mids this year, as the defense has done a tremendous job of separating the ball from the opposing player on offense.

The Midshipmen have forced 16 fumbles this year, tied for the 14th most in FBS, though they have only been able to recover five of those fumbles, tied for the 42nd most.

On passing downs, Navy's secondary needs to be feared as they have tallied 11 interceptions so far, the 14th most in FBS, and they have returned three of those interceptions for touchdowns (two by Dashaun Peele and one by Rayuan Lane III) the fourth most this year.

Even with the two losses in as many weeks, it has been a spectacular season for the Midshipmen, and one that has already seen the team secure bowl eligibility.

It will be interesting to see if they are capable of keeping the momentum going forward after this year and for many years to come.