Back in 2007, in a previous job, I called Navy great Roger Staubach heading into the Midshipmen’s game at Notre Dame.
The Irish were 1-7 in Year 3 under coach Charlie Weis and, it seemed, ripe for an upset. But the Middies, a modest 4-4 themselves, were saddled with an FBS-record 43-game losing streak against the Irish.
Staubach had quarterbacked Navy to its last victory over the Irish, a 35-14 romp in 1963. At the end of that season, he was awarded the Heisman Trophy.
The timing — 44 years later — just seemed right. And wouldn’t you know it? The Middies stopped an Irish two-point conversion attempt in triple overtime to win a 46-44 instant classic.
A born nuisance, I called Staubach again after that game. Instead of a giddy reaction, though, I received a lesson in what really matters.
The Army-Navy game.
“Captain America” had already moved on.
“Navy wants to beat Army — there’s no question about it — but the mutual respect on the field is the thing about this game that never changes,” Staubach said. “These are young people on both sides who have so much in common. No matter who wins or who loses, that never changes. It’s what makes this rivalry so wonderful.”
We’ve arrived there again: Army (+10½) vs. No. 23 Navy in Philadelphia, in the only major-college game on the Saturday after Championship Week.
College football has no greater spectacle than this. The stands will be evenly split between cadets and midshipmen, with pride and respect hanging heavy in the air and on the field. When it’s over, the teams will stand at attention while each alma mater is played.
The game itself is a riveting watch, with both teams running triple option out of the Flexbone. Navy has the nation’s top rushing attack, churning out 360.8 yards per game with 48 touchdowns thus far. Army is second on both counts, with 311.7 and 44.
The Black Knights won 29 games — and all three against Navy — from 2016 to 2018, but they’ve slipped to 5-7 this season. The Middies, led by masterful quarterback Malcolm Perry (1,500 yards and 19 TDs rushing), are 9-2 and itching to put a “W” on the board against their rivals for the first time since winning 14 straight in the series from 2002 to 2015.
Five straight Army-Navy games, and seven of the last eight, have been decided by seven points or fewer. More of the same? Anchors aweigh, 24-17.
A Heisman prediction
The truest way to measure the size of a Heisman Trophy victory is by calculating the winner’s point total as a percentage of points available that year — which is based, of course, on the number of voters.
Biggest win ever under that guideline: Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith’s 91.6 percent of possible points in 2006. Next are Oregon QB Marcus Mariota’s 90.9 percent in 2014 and Oklahoma QB Baker Mayfield’s 86 percent in 2017.
LSU quarterback Joe Burrow is a lock to win the award Saturday at 7 p.m. on ESPN, and his victory margin will be enormous. But will he break Smith’s record?
He’ll come close. Maybe not No. 1 ever, but he’ll knock Mayfield out of the top three.
Burrow has earned every bit of this romp, too. A first-place vote for anyone other than Burrow — who has thrown for 4,715 yards and 48 touchdowns and taken on all comers with palpable confidence and leadership — will reek of pure partisanship.
Like all voters, I’m barred by the Heisman Trust from revealing my ballot until the winner has been announced. But let’s just say a friend of mine — a real nuisance of a guy — went with Burrow, Oklahoma quarterback Jalen Hurts and Ohio State defensive end Chase Young as his 1-2-3.
It’s confidential
There are 40 bowls this postseason, an absurd number. It all starts next Friday with the Bahamas Bowl (Buffalo vs. Charlotte) and Frisco Bowl (Utah State vs. Kent State).
If I asked you which of those bowls is sponsored by the Tropical Smoothie Café, you’d probably be mighty confident it’s the one where a fan might kick off his shoes, close his eyes and practically hear the gentle kiss of the Atlantic Ocean meeting the Caribbean Sea.
Wrong-o, pal. It’s the one in landlocked Frisco, Texas, where a fan can close his eyes and smell the hairspray wafting in from Dallas.
But now we’ve gone off on a ridiculous tangent.
Look, they’re called confidence pools — bowl season’s version of NCAA Tournament bracket pools. Step 1: Pick your 40 winners. Step 2: Assign 40 points to the winner you’re most confident in, down to one point to the winner you’re least confident in. Step 3: There is no Step 3. This isn’t complicated, people.
At the risk of seeming boastful, I’ll have you know I entered a confidence pool last December and won the sucker. The field was 12 deep. Second place went to a friend’s middle-school-aged kid. I beat that snot-nosed punk once, and, dang it, I aim to do it again.
I won’t reveal all my picks, but here are five of my top winners. This list doesn’t include any teams favored by double-digit point spreads, because any schmo can look up the lines and assign huge confidence numbers accordingly.
Don’t be shy, though, about assigning 30-plus points to each of these five teams. You can Venmo me later:
NOTRE DAME OVER IOWA STATE (CAMPING WORLD BOWL, DEC. 28)
The Irish have a shot at an 11-win season, which should make it easy for coach Brian Kelly to have them in a lather about being left out of the New Year’s Six. It also means they’re really good. The five-loss Cyclones are known for hanging tough against teams with superior talent, but this list isn’t about moral victories.
PENN STATE OVER MEMPHIS (COTTON BOWL, DEC. 28)
The 10-2 Nittany Lions were passed over by the Rose Bowl in favor of 10-3 Wisconsin. Coach James Franklin is using that all day, every day on his players. This is PSU’s chance to launch itself into what it believes will be a Big Ten championship season in 2020.
ALABAMA OVER MICHIGAN (CITRUS BOWL, JAN. 1)
By the time Crimson Tide players stop bailing on this game to prepare for the NFL draft, Cousin Earl might be on the depth chart at free safety. Then again, Cousin Earl plays for Bama — he’s no worse than a four-star guy.
AUBURN OVER MINNESOTA (OUTBACK BOWL, JAN. 1)
The Tigers are coming off a thrilling Iron Bowl victory over Alabama. The Gophers are picking up the pieces after being dominated at home by Wisconsin with a shot at the Big Ten title on the line. The last Saturday of November revealed a lot of truths about where each of these programs is actually at.
CINCINNATI OVER BOSTON COLLEGE (BIRMINGHAM BOWL, JAN. 2)
Give me outstanding Bearcats coach Luke Fickell and a healthy Desmond Ridder at quarterback anytime. BC is without fired coach Steve Addazio and — much worse — star running back AJ Dillon, its best player, who has entered the NFL draft.
