Screw you, DOD, for even bringing us to this point. Screw you right in the face.
I assume this only applies to the Air Force game and that the Duke game is still up in the air, but hopefully we’ll get word on that soon. For now let’s just beat the crap out of Air Force and figure out if there’s a way to blame Troy Calhoun for all of this.
The government’s fiscal year begins on October 1 every year, which means that any government shutdown caused by the inability to pass a budget will probably happen during football season. In the past, that didn’t make much of a difference to Navy football:
1976
The federal government was in partial shutdown from September 30-October 11.
10/02/76 – Navy played Boston College in Annapolis
10/09/76 – Navy played Air Force in Colorado Springs
1977
The federal government was in partial shutdown three times; from September 30-October 13, October 31-November 9, November 30-December 9.
10/01/77 – Navy played Duke in Durham
10/08/77 – Navy played Air Force in Annapolis
11/05/77 – Navy played Syracuse in Annapolis
1978
The federal government was in partial shutdown from September 30-October 18.
9/30/78 – Navy played Boston College at BC
10/07/78 – Navy played Air Force in Colorado Springs
10/14/78 – Navy played Duke in Annapolis
1979
The federal government was shut down from September 30-October 12.
10/06/79 – Navy played Air Force in Annapolis
1982
The federal government was shut down from September 30-October 2.
10/02/82 – Navy played Duke in Durham
1983
The federal government was shut down from November 10-14.
11/12/83 – Navy played South Carolina in Columbia
1986
The federal government was shut down from October 16-18.
10/18/86 – Navy played Penn in Annapolis
1990
The federal government was shut down from October 5-9.
10/06/90 – Navy played Air Force in Colorado Springs
1995
The federal government was shut down from November 13-19.
11/18/95 – Navy played Tulane in Annapolis
To be fair, not every government shutdown is the same. Regardless of the nature of the shutdown, though, Navy football was never forced to cancel a game. Contrary to some reports you might have read, Navy’s athletic department isn’t government-operated. There is no reason that the Navy-Air Force game should be cancelled this weekend. The order by the Department of Defense to cancel service academy athletic competitions is strictly a PR move.
I tried to warn you
Offense hadn’t been tested
They’ve been tested now
Navy (2-0) at Western Kentucky (2-2)
Saturday 9/28 2:00 ET
ESPNews
NEVER FORGET
In honor of playing Western Kentucky, let’s all reflect on this great moment in college football history:
I don’t know why but I love that quote so much.
There’s some interesting stuff happening on the weeknight games, so I have to get this out a day early.
(All times ET)
Thursday
Virginia Tech at Georgia Tech – 7:30 – ESPN
Frank Beamer vs. Paul Johnson? The dean of cut block complainers vs. a man who cut blocked his own mother as he was being born? No I certainly do not have anything better to do on a Thursday night.
Friday
Utah State at San Jose State – 9:00 – ESPN
This game should feature enough offense that it won’t end until sometime around around 6. Chuckie Keeton vs. David Fales? That will be a lot of fun, at least until sometime in the second quarter when you realize that the Mids have to play the latter at the end of the season.
Saturday
South Alabama at Tennessee – Noonish – SEC Network/ESPN3
The appetizer for the Navy game will be another look at future opponent South Alabama. It’s not necessarily weird that the Jaguars are 2-1. It is a bit weird that the wins came over Tulane and Western Kentucky while the loss came against Southern Utah.
Virginia at Pittsburgh – 12:30 – FSN affiliates
I need this game to determine whether Duke has a good offense or Pitt has a bad defense.
Army vs. Louisiana Tech – 4:00 – FS1
Another winnable game for Army. Joined in progress after the end of the Navy game. Toledo and Duke are also playing in 3:00 games on ESPN3, but I don’t know if I’ll get to those since there probably won’t be much left by the time the Mids are done playing.
Air Force at Nevada – 8:00 – CBS Sports Network
This game just got a lot more interesting now that Jaleel Awini has been suspended.
One of the Mountain West’s biggest talking points through all the conference realignment turmoil has been their “stability.” That’s just spin, of course. All “stability” really means is that you don’t have anyone left in your conference that another league might want.
The American Athletic Conference doesn’t have that “stability,” which is both a blessing and a curse. It’s a blessing because it means that the conference still has some name-brand programs adding to its appeal. It’s a curse because, well…
Don’t think of it as a bye week. Think of it as getting EI on every other team in the country.
(All times ET)
Saturday
Toledo at Central Michigan – Noon – ESPN3
San Jose State-Minnesota might end up being a better game, but I’m opting for this one since the Mids play Toledo sooner. The Rockets opened with back-to-back games against SEC opponents, then followed that up with a win over FCS Eastern Washington. The conference opener might be the first real indication as to how this team compares to some of the better Toledo teams of the recent past.
Wake Forest at Army – Noon – CBS Sports Network
There’s a huge difference between 2-2 and 1-3, especially when only two of your last eight games will be played on your home field. This game might set the course for the rest of Army’s season.
Pittsburgh at Duke – 12:30 – ACC Network/ESPN Gameplan/ESPN3
Two future Navy opponents in one game. It’s economical.
Michigan State at Notre Dame – 3:30 – NBC
Michigan State is 3-0 but not exactly in impressive fashion. This will be a bellwether game for the Spartans.
Morgan State at Western Kentucky – 7:00 – ESPN3
You’ll have to get online if you want to watch Navy’s next opponent. I originally wasn’t even going to bother watching this game since it’s against Morgan State, but now that WKU might be starting a new quarterback I’ll have to take a look.
Wyoming at Air Force – 10:15 – ESPNU
Air Force football is about the last thing I want to stay up late for, but I’m not going to miss the Ethics Bowl.
Seriously guys, I mean it. It’s never as good or as bad as it seems.
It’s going to be even harder to convince people of that now. For the second straight week, the Navy offense was a juggernaut. This time they dropped 51 points on a shell-shocked Delaware squad while generating 589 yards of offense. Just to make things confusing for everyone, 237 of those yards came through the air. The Mids only had to punt once, and even that punt was a work of art. Kickoff coverage picked up where it left off against Indiana, holding the Blue Hens to another better-than-a-touchback average of 23.3 yards per return. The defense only gave up 7 points. It was a the mythical “complete game” we’ve always dreamed of.
SHUT UP I CAN’T HEAR YOU WITH YOUR MISSED EXTRA POINT LA LA LA LA LA LA
Keenan back to pass
Keenan back to pass again
WHAT DID I JUST SEE
Delaware (2-0) at Navy (1-0)
Saturday 9/14 3:30 ET
CBS Sports Network
A few points of interest for Navy’s home opener:
The Birddog 