The Army-Navy Game will be moved up a week beginning next year so that the annual service academy showdown does not conflict with the expanded College Football Playoff.
The schools announced the change Monday after stakeholders unveiled an agreement to double the playoff field from 12 to 24 teams. The 128th rendition of the game is now set to take place in Philadelphia on Saturday, Dec. 4, 2027, instead of Dec. 11.
“We appreciate the flexibility of the people of Philadelphia to accommodate this date change, and we applaud the collaboration between the city of Philadelphia, Lincoln Financial Field and the academies,” Navy athletic director Michael Kelly said in a statement. “We are also extremely grateful to the CFP leadership for their collaboration. Finding a way to preserve the exclusive broadcast window for America’s Game while ensuring our program has a rightful path to compete in the College Football Playoff is a tremendous outcome for our student-athletes and fans across the country.”
Army-Navy has been a tradition on the second Saturday of December since 2009. President Donald Trump signed an executive order in March barring the CFP and other postseason games from airing at the same time.
Army athletic director Tom Theodorakis also expressed his thanks to other stakeholders.
“As we look ahead to future games, we are excited about the opportunity to build on our strong foundation and secure new commitments that demonstrate a shared passion to grow the game and drive economic impact in host cities," he said.
This year's game will be played at the Meadowlands in New Jersey on Dec. 12.
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