Spit and Baling Wire

The U.S. Service Academies at West Point and Annapolis are among the finest schools in the nation and while they both play D1 college football the demands of the schools hamper the them in selecting players--the minimum SAT score just does not cut it. Because of this factor the Army-Navy game is among the greatest rivalries in college football. No the players aren't the elite on any ones recruiting boards but they are evenly matched with intelligent disciplined players.

Lately it has leaked out that the Big East is interested in an alliance with the two schools to join the conference as 1/1A for football only. The motivation is simply that the addition of the 12th game to the schedule means that Big East schools must find five OOC games in addition to the seven (an odd number which causes a problem when it its your year to only have three conference games at home). The Army/Navy combo would mean that the AD's would only need to fill four slots each year and assure a minimum of four home games with the associated dollars. The two schools are very much in the geography footprint of the conference which could make for some nice away game road trips and more importantly the teams have a good fan support.\

Navy 2007
8-31-07 at Temple (Fri.) Navy at Temple
9-7-07 at Rutgers (Fri.) Navy at Rutgers
9-15-07 BALL STATE Ball State at Navy
9-22-07 DUKE at Navy
9-29-07 AIR FORCE at Navy
10-10-07 at Pittsburgh (Wed.) Navy
10-20-07 WAKE FOREST
10-27-07 DELAWARE
11-3-07 at Notre Dame
11-10-07 at North Texas
11-17-07 NORTHERN ILLINOIS
12-1-07 vs. Army @Baltimore, MD

Army 2007
9-1-07 at Akron @Cleveland, OH
9-8-07 RHODE ISLAND
9-15-07 at Wake Forest
9-22-07 at Boston College
9-29-07 TEMPLE
10-6-07 TULANE
10-13-07 at Central Michigan
10-20-07 at Georgia Tech
11-3-07 at Air Force
11-9-07 RUTGERS
11-17-07 TULSA
12-1-07 vs. Navy @Baltimore, MD

The problem here is trying to figure out what Army and Navy get out of the deal. They too may be feeling the pressure of filling twelve games but that's not a money issue. Either of these teams on your schools schedule comes the understand that they are not powerhouse but are respectable opponents from a good background the old money type. Navy for one does not need the money as they are better off financially then any the BE members (Army and Notre Dame are the big paydays). Army may still gun shy with the bad relationship they recently got out of with Conference USA. An association with a BCS conference only makes the road to a bowl game that much more difficult as games against the likes of Rutgers, West Virginia, Louisville, and South Florida during the upcoming season would be very challenging for these teams. They both currently four or five BCS schools but those are chosen rather than imposed.

If the parties move ahead with this idea it should be on a trial basis of two or four seasons as Army and Navy may trier of the routine and the Big East will need a stronger permanent member.