Will Army West Point Host Conference Championship Game Debut?

Here’s how the American Athletic Conference will determine whether Army West Point will host the league title game.

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

The Army West Point Black Knights will make history in a couple of weeks when they play in the American Athletic Conference championship game against Tulane.

The Black Knights have been an independent football program for the vast majority of their existence, with the exception of seven years in Conference USA.

But, after joining the American as an affiliate member for football this season, Army is preparing to make its league title game debut.

There is also a chance that the Black Knights could host the game. How?

The American has tiebreaker rules set up for the championship game, which is hosted by the team with the better record in league play.

Army faces Notre Dame this Saturday and then travels to UTSA for its AAC finale on Nov. 30. Tulane has one game remaining against Memphis on Thanksgiving Day. If one wins and the other loses, then determining the home site is easy.

But there is a distinct possibility that both the Black Knights (9-0, 7-0 in American) and the Green Wave (9-2, 7-0) finish the regular season undefeated in league action.

In that case, the host will be determined by each team’s College Football Playoff ranking, assuming that both teams are ranked. In that case, the higher-ranked team will host.

Entering this week’s action, the Green Wave are No. 25 in the CFP and Army is No. 24.

But, what if one team is ranked and one team is not? Well, the AAC has that covered, too:

If still tied, if one team was ranked in the latest available CFP Selection Committee rankings and doesn’t lose in the final weekend of the conference regular season, it will be declared the host.

In that scenario, if the teams are still tied, a composite average of four computer rankings ­— Anderson & Hester, Billingsley, Colley, and Wolfe are used to determine the host.

That’s one reason why winning the final game of the conference season is important for both teams.

Another is there is certainly a difference between playing in New Orleans and West Point, N.Y., in December.

Army, No. 18 in the AP Top 25, is preparing to play its biggest game in decades when it faces No. 6 Notre Dame in Yankee Stadium on Saturday.

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).

It also happens to be the last time Army beat Notre Dame.