Jeff Monken Advocates Thanksgiving Weekend for Army-Navy Game
The historic Army-Navy football game, usually played on the second Saturday of December, might soon shift to Thanksgiving weekend. Army football coach Jeff Monken is pushing for this change, saying it could help both teams and maybe even shake up college football for the better.
Moving the game could also clear the way for the College Football Playoff (CFP) to start a week earlier. That would be a pretty big deal for the postseason schedule.
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Coach Monken, who’s led Army football since 2014, thinks Thanksgiving weekend makes sense for a bunch of reasons. Right now, the game happens after conference championships and right before the first round of the CFP.
This setup creates a headache if either Army or Navy makes the Playoff. The timing just doesn’t work well.
Benefits for the College Football Playoff
One big reason for the proposed change: it would let the CFP kick off earlier. At the moment, the first CFP round starts two weeks after conference championships just to keep the Army-Navy game in its own spotlight.
If the game moves to Thanksgiving weekend, the CFP could start right after conference championships. That could put the championship game around January 8, which is more in line with the old four-team Playoff schedule.
Monken really doesn’t want the college football season to drag on until the end of January. He thinks having the championship around New Year’s Day would be best, especially if the CFP expands to 16 teams, which seems likely.
For Army and Navy, switching the game to Thanksgiving weekend would mean they don’t have to squeeze their biggest rivalry between the conference championships and a possible Playoff game. That’s a lot less stress for everyone involved.
Monken notes his team had an 11-1 record in 2024, showing they could make the Playoff. But the current schedule just makes it too tough to do both the Playoff and Army-Navy game without running into problems.
If the game moved, both teams could keep their Playoff hopes alive without having to worry about a scheduling mess.
Challenges and Considerations
Still, it’s not all smooth sailing. Thanksgiving weekend is already packed with games, so finding an exclusive TV slot for Army-Navy would be tricky.
Television and Broadcasting Concerns
President Donald Trump once talked about an executive order to guarantee Army-Navy its own four-hour TV window. No one’s really sure if that’s even possible, though.
Monken thinks the game deserves an exclusive slot on Thanksgiving weekend—maybe on Thanksgiving Day, or the Friday or Saturday after. But with all the TV contracts and different networks, carving out that window would take some serious negotiating.
If everyone’s motivated enough, maybe they could make it happen. But it’s definitely complicated.
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Monken says his athletic director likes the idea, but he’s not sure where Navy stands. It’ll probably take some real conversations between both schools’ athletic directors to figure it out.
The main thing is making sure neither team has to choose between the Playoff and their historic rivalry. That’s the goal.
Historical Significance and Future Implications
The Army-Navy game means a lot in college football history. Monken says, “Army-Navy is a huge part of the history of college football, and what it is today.”
Maintaining Tradition
Even if the game moves to Thanksgiving weekend, it can still keep its importance. Monken thinks giving it a four-hour block during that weekend would keep it as a season highlight.
Honestly, it might even draw more viewers, since Thanksgiving weekend is already packed with football fans looking for something special to watch.
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Pathway to the Playoffs
For Army and Navy, having a clear pathway to the Playoffs really matters. Monken says that if you don’t have a way in, you’re irrelevant.
The proposed change would let both teams compete in the Playoff without forcing them to pick between that and the Army-Navy game.
Moving the Army-Navy game to Thanksgiving weekend could shake things up for both teams and maybe even college football as a whole. Sure, there are a few bumps in the road, but honestly, this shift might make the season way more exciting.
If you want to dig deeper, the full article’s over at the New York Times.