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Army football coach Jeff Monken made headlines this week when he suggested moving āAmericaās Gameā to Thanksgiving Day or weekend.
In an interview with The Athletic, Monken said playing the Army-Navy Game the fourth weekend of November instead of the second Saturday of December would make it easier for the two service academies to participate in the postseason.
Contacted Tuesday morning, Navy athletic director Michael Kelly said he was āsurprisedā by Monkenās comments and was not a fan of his idea.
āIām always open-minded to different options, but Iām not supportive of the Thanksgiving suggestion,ā Kelly said. āI think that would be really detrimental to our revenue potential in terms of viewership and sponsorship.ā
As it stands now, the American Conference championship game is held the Saturday before the Army-Navy Game, while the College Football Playoff begins one weekend later.
Navy played in the American Conference championship game in 2016 and had multiple starters, including quarterback Will Worth get injured against Temple. Navy then got upset by Army the following Saturday at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore.
Army beat Tulane to capture the American Conference championship in 2024 then turned around and lost to Navy one week later at Northwest Stadium in Landover.
āI think Army-Navy is a huge part of the history of college football, and what it is today, even. 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,ā Monken said. āThatās still protecting the game.ā
There has been much speculation about how the possible expansion of the College Football Playoff would impact the Army-Navy Game. If the College Football Playoff expands, there is a good chance first-round games would be played on the second Saturday in December.
āThe 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, OK, do you play in the playoffs, or do you play the Army-Navy game,ā Monken said. āWell, what kind of decision is that? We want to do both. So the only way we can do both is to move the Army-Navy game to Thanksgiving weekend.ā
Kelly pointed out that every Football Bowl Subdivision program currently plays during Thanksgiving week, making it virtually impossible to provide Army-Navy with an exclusive television window. Playing on Thanksgiving Day does not make any sense because that would put Army-Navy up against three NFL games, Kelly said.
āWhile I understand the rationale and recognize the need to be flexible, Iām just not supportive of playing the Army-Navy Game on Thanksgiving weekend. I think itās premature to jump to that holiday, which I donāt think would work,ā Kelly said. āThere is a reason why large-scale, neutral site college football games arenāt held around Thanksgiving. There are other better options that can be considered and discussed moving forward.ā
Not only does Kelly believe playing on Thanksgiving Day or the weekend after would hurt television ratings, he also believes it could impact attendance. Kelly noted there are numerous events held during the week leading up to the Army-Navy Game.
āI really think it would reduce the size of our crowd, not just for the game but also all the ancillary events because so many folks travel and have family gatherings surrounding a major holiday like that,ā he said.
You can bet that an Army-Navy Game played the fourth weekend of November would not sit well with the student bodies of the two service academies.
āMost importantly, it would deprive the Brigade of Midshipmen and Corps of Cadets of a well deserved Thanksgiving holiday with the family and would be very unpopular in that regard,ā Kelly said.
Kelly and Army counterpart Tom Theodorakis have addressed the potential impact College Football Playoff expansion would have on Americaās Game. Both athletic directors told The Capital Gazette in mid-December, following the 2025 Army-Navy Game, that they must be proactive in protecting it.
āAs we have stated many times before, Americaās Game is very unique and special and not just for the two participating academies. It is an opportunity to showcase and salute our countryās military,ā Kelly said. āIt certainly deserves an exclusive window, thatās for sure. Iām confident the game can be maintained into the future while giving Army and Navy the opportunity to participate in the College Football Playoff when warranted.ā
Contacted Monday night, Theodorakis maintained the same stance he took in December when he said Army and Navy needed to conduct due diligence with regard to playoff expansion and be prepared to respond to any changes. Theodorakis had talked about āstaying ahead of the curveā and making sure the sportās power brokers recognize the importance of Army-Navy.
āBoth service academies want to compete for conference championships, play the Army-Navy Game on the biggest stage possible and have an avenue to play in the College Football Playoff when warranted,ā Theodorakis said Monday night. āIām confident we can make all those things happen even if the landscape changes.ā
Southeastern Conference commissioner Greg Sankey and Big Ten Conference counterpart Tony Petitti are at an impasse about College Football Playoff expansion. Sankey favors a 16-team field featuring five conference champions and 11 at-large teams. Petitti has floated a 24-team field loaded with automatic berths.
In meetings held around the national championship game in Miami this past January, Petitti and Sankey could not come to an agreement and the College Football Playoff will remain in its current 12-team format for the 2026 season.
That means there is no impact whatsoever on the 127th Army-Navy Game, which is scheduled for Dec. 12 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
āIf the College Football Playoff does expand then we have to be flexible and consider all the potential options,ā Theodorakis said. āNothing has changed on my end on this topic. Thereās really no point in talking about hypotheticals at this time.ā
