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Despite what the chumps at the WWL would have you believe, regular season football has not ended. We have today, this last final Saturday in December and one last game to play. It's a game that goes beyond the football field, a game that is the final, last stand of the pure, student-athlete, amateur competition in Division I-A football. It's a game that embodies all that is great about college athletics, without the intellectual dishonesty of believing that many of these "student-athletes" are students or unpaid amateurs: this is the one game where you know the players are playing for the big NFL paycheck pay-off at the end of the tunnel, but for their alma maters, their pride, and for one another.
Today is the 114th edition of the battle between the Cadets of the United States Military Academy and the Midshipmen of the United States Naval Academy. Since 1890, these two rival institutions have battled for bragging rights between the services of our republic's armed forces. Today, in Philadelphia, where our republic first declared our independence, these two teams will follow in the footsteps of their predecessors and battle it out for pride and honor. In the bigger picture of Division I-A football, this games means nothing for 3-8 Army, who will not go bowling once again, and 7-4 Navy, who are already slated to take on Middle Tennessee State in the Armed Forces Bowl. But if you ask any one of the young men or women from West Point or Annapolis, this is the most important game of the year.
As for the game itself, SBN has an excellent preview on the game, the teams, and what to look for. Obviously, one of the big story lines is whether Army will finally find a way to break the 11-game losing streak to their Annapolis rivals, which Navy claims they aren't discussing. The game will be televised nationally live on CBS at noon PST, and this will be your open thread to discuss the game.
These young men will take the field in two sets of uniforms, but they all play for the same team. These young men will battle one another on the gridiron, but will set down their helmets, and take up arms together in far-flung corners of the world, all in our the name of our republic. We love our Bruins, but these young men are an entirely different level of special. In two years, Brett Hundley will be making millions of dollars in the NFL. In two years, Army QB Angel Santiago will be a Second Lieutenant, risking his life for our liberty. You can't help but root these guys on.
This is your Army-Navy open thread. Fire away in the comment threads with your opinions, takes, and commentary on the game.
GO ARMY, BEAT NAVY!