President Donald Trump just made good on his promise to shield the Army-Navy game from College Football Playoff expansion. By signing the “Preserving America’s Game” executive order, the POTUS effectively blocked postseason broadcasts from hijacking the rivalry’s sacred December time slot. In response, the Army’s athletic department quickly issued an official statement to break its silence.

“We’re grateful for the President’s leadership and for everyone working to protect, preserve, and unite around America’s game and the values it stands for,” said Tom Theodorakis, Army West Point Director of Athletics. 

The ceremonial signing took place at the White House, ironically, while Trump was hosting the Navy Midshipmen to celebrate their recent Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy victory. Despite the bitter on-field rivalry, the Army brass didn’t hesitate to praise his move, recognizing that the order finally secured their exclusive national broadcast window.

The executive order aims at preserving a long-standing college football tradition. It mandates efforts to come up with an exclusive national broadcast window that would preserve the second Saturday in December, which belongs to the Army-Navy game.  

“The Army-Navy Game is one of our Greatest American Traditions — Unmatched Patriotism, Courage, and Honor,” said Trump three months back. “This incredible Tradition is now at risk of being pushed aside by more College Playoff Games and Big TV Money. NOT ANYMORE! I will soon sign a Historic Executive Order securing an exclusive 4-hour broadcast window.”

This directive forces the Commerce Secretary and FCC to hammer out an exclusive broadcast window with the NCAA, CFP committee, and media partners. The groundwork actually started back in mid-January, when Trump first took to social media to warn that he wouldn’t let television money push the historic game aside.

According to the sources, a College Football Playoff expansion plan has been brewing for quite some time now. In case it becomes a 16-team format, then December would become a tight window with a scheduling battle. Eventually, it would be a tough task to squeeze in the Army-Navy game with more high-stakes games lined up on the second Saturday of December.

Meanwhile, the Army vs Navy has now become an emotion, having been played since 1930. At the moment, CBS Sports is in charge of the broadcast rights through 2038. But according to The Athletic’s reports, earlier it was played on the last weekend of November or the first weekend of December. Then, in 2009, it was shifted to the second weekend of December to pull in more ratings to CBS. Army head coach Jeff Monken is also open to going back to the old calendar, the fourth Thursday of November.

“Give us a four-hour block on Thanksgiving, or on Friday of Thanksgiving, or on Saturday of Thanksgiving, and give us a four-hour block, and just say nobody else plays during this four-hour block. That’s still protecting the game,” the head coach is willing to strike a middle ground. 

Trump has nudged the FCC to consider labeling the Army-Navy Game as a “national service event” under public interest rules. Is this order going to pull the strings for the playoff expansion plan?

The CFP Committee receives grace amid the Army-Navy game preservation

Nailing down a post-season format is still a challenge for the college football playoff committee. They have done a trial-and-error over these years by beginning with four teams, and then dropping to a 12-team format. This time, the next number is likely to be 16. The biggest task now, if it is approved? To accommodate the extra four teams.

The most likely option is to move the new playoff games up on the calendar. However, this move targets the sweet spot, the second Saturday in December, that belongs to the Army-Navy game. According to Trump’s order, the NCAA is free to schedule playoff games on the second Saturday in December. However, the four-hour Army-Navy window must stay untouched, while there could be games before and after it. But there lies another dilemma for the Army and Navy. They are hunting for that perfect date slot to make a playoff run without disrupting a legacy rivalry.

“The problem becomes if they expand the playoffs, or they move the playoffs to start at an earlier date, that would essentially force us to say, ‘O.K., do you play in the playoffs, or do you play the Army-Navy game? We want to do both,” said Monken. 

Now that Donald Trump has ordered the FCC, CFP committee, and NCAA to establish “an exclusive” window, will they take care of the Army and Navy’s post-season aspirations? While Trump’s order protects the historic broadcast, it leaves the academies to navigate the new and complex challenge of balancing a cherished rivalry with their own postseason ambitions.