If the College Football Playoff expands beyond its current 12-team format, it will potentially end up impacting the long-standing weekend set aside for the Army-Navy Game. While no changes have been finalized yet, leaders at both service academies are already considering backup plans to protect the future of what’s widely known as “America’s Game.”

“Army and Navy are discussing potential solutions to their scheduling conflict if the College Football Playoff expands,” Front Office Sports reported on X. “Possible solutions could include moving the game up to rivalry week or granting first-round byes if either team were to make the playoffs.”

The service academies are apparently in a tricky time slot. They are stuck trying to find that sweet spot in the calendar that lets them chase postseason glory without stepping on the toes of a rivalry that’s been thriving for over a century.

According to reports by Seth Emerson of The Athletic, Black Knights coach Jeff Monken supports moving the game from the second weekend of December to the weekend of Thanksgiving. 

Among all this schedule hoopla, let’s not forget the Black Knights and Midshipmen are chasing playoff dreams, too. Both programs have cracked the CFP rankings in four separate seasons. Navy soared as high as No. 15 back in 2015.

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“It is possible for us to be in the playoffs,” Monken said. “But 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? Well, what kind of decision is that? We want to do both.”

As reported, a “first-round bye” means a team skips the first playoff game and automatically advances to the next round. So this proposal would reward the Army or Navy with a bye if they qualify for the CFP. That way, they wouldn’t have to choose between playing in the playoff and preserving their traditional Army–Navy game date.

While the Army head coach proposed a Thanksgiving date, Midshipmen athletic director Michael Kelly is not in support of that idea. 

“I’m always open-minded to different options, but I’m not supportive of the Thanksgiving suggestion,” Kelly said. “I think that would be really detrimental to our revenue potential in terms of viewership and sponsorship.”

Over the years, one week before the 12-team CFP commences, the date has been reserved for the Army-Navy game. The schedule is set so that it is the only FBS football game played that day. The last time that the Army and Navy played was in December 1983. 

For so long, the annual clash between the Black Knights and Midshipmen has survived quite a few shifts in the sport. Be it the conference shifts for both teams or the institution of conference championships, the second Saturday of December has belonged to them.

But what makes them fear a slip now? Playoff expansion is forcing college football to rethink the calendar, compressing a season that now spills into January. 

While they are scared of viewership, the programs got some support from President Donald Trump.

Donald Trump steps in to protect Army-Navy amid College Football Playoff expansion shake-up

The President, like any other college football fan, is sensitive about the Army-Navy game since it is one of the greatest American traditions. It stands for the nation’s unmatched patriotism, courage, and honor. So, amidst the Playoff expansion, Trump urgently stepped in to help the iconic rivalry survive. 

“Under my administration, the second Saturday in December belongs to Army-Navy, and ONLY Army-Navy! I will soon sign a Historic Executive Order securing an exclusive -hourr Broadcast window,” he said. 

The order would be a push to carve out an exclusive broadcast window for the game. Right now, the exclusive rights of the Army-Navy Game are owned by CBS through 2038. And Trump protecting the Army-Navy game amidst Playoff expansion could be a boon to CBS.

That’s because, if the order sees a green light, it would be a tough one for Disney’s ESPN. ESPN has the College Football Playoff locked down through the 2031-32 season, holding exclusive broadcasting rights to the sport’s biggest stage. 

Meanwhile, it’s unclear how much force Trump’s executive order would carry. But could it be the lifeboat that Army-Navy needs to stay locked into its traditional slot amidst the College Football Playoff extension?