It wouldn't matter if the two teams were winless going into the final game of the year. When Army and Navy face each other, it's a big deal.
The two military academies look forward to this annual rivalry all season long as the only real game that matters. Navy has had some good performances this season and goes into the last week with a 6-5 record. Army has struggled a bit more, but it still managed to go 4-7.
Still, a win or loss Saturday will determine whether the season is a success for these two programs.
This is an exciting game to watch for all college football fans, so make sure not to miss a second of the action from Baltimore.
When: Saturday, Dec. 13
Time: 3 p.m. ET
Where: M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland
TV: CBS
Spread (via OddsShark.com): Navy -15
Over/Under: 56
Hunter Martin/Getty Images
The most intriguing part of this game is the fact that it's almost like a time-traveling experience to football before the invention of the forward pass.
With both teams running the option offense, throwing the ball is extremely rare. Army ranks last in the nation with just 64.5 passing yards per game, while Navy is second-to-last with an average of 87.6.
Navy won last year's game 34-7 with quarterback Keenan Reynolds passing for just 10 yards on seven attempts.
With Reynolds back as one of the most dynamic quarterbacks in the nation, it wouldn't be surprising to see more of the same this time around. The junior leads the team with 1,082 rushing yards, and his 20 touchdowns on the ground ranks seventh in the country.
Army has struggled defensively all season, and it is hard to imagine the squad finding ways to stop-or even slow down-a quarterback who can score on any play.
This doesn't seem like a year that is going to end the Midshipmen's run of recent success, as noted by ESPN Stats and Info:
Army and Navy meet for the 115th time tomorrow. Navy has won the last 12 meetings in the series, which dates back to 1890.- ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) December 12, 2014
The Black Knights will battle back with the one-two punch of Angel Santiago and Larry Dixon in the backfield. They will find a way to move the ball and keep the Navy offense off the field as long as possible.
However, Navy has more talent from top to bottom and should be able to pull out another win in its home state of Maryland.
Still, this game is about more than wins and losses. ESPN's College GameDay will make its way to M&T Bank Stadium to watch the action, as Kirk Herbstreit excitedly announced:
Just arrived in Baltimore for #ARMYvsNAVY game tomorrow. We are doing @CollegeGameDay first time ever from a Army/Navy game. #honored- Kirk Herbstreit (@KirkHerbstreit) December 12, 2014
Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo sums up the rivalry well:
The thing that's always cool is, as bad as we want to beat them and as bad as they want to beat us, there's a great amount of respect between both schools. The sportsmanship after, by us singing each other's alma mater, shows that. In a sport where everyone's talking about who's going to be in the top four, it's cool to have two teams that just play a rivalry for the pure competition.
The simultaneous hatred and respect make this an incredible event that transcends sports. One of these teams will leave as a winner, but there will truly be no losers in this one. Follow Rob Goldberg on Twitter for the latest breaking news and analysis.
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