Army vs Air Force game
Archived — this story has rotated out of today’s deck. It is kept here in full.
The gist
Army (5-3) hosts Air Force (6-2) at West Point on Nov.
Army has won three straight in the series and leads the nation in rushing.
Background
The game is the second leg of the three-game Commander-in-Chief's Trophy series between the U.S. service academies, which Air Force currently leads after beating Navy 14-9 on Oct. 3. Air Force, coached by Troy Calhoun, leads the all-time series 38-21-1, but Army, coached by Jeff Monken, has won the last three meetings, including 20-17 at Air Force last November. Both teams run option-based, run-heavy offenses: Army leads the nation in rushing yards (342.5 per game) and Air Force is second (341.0).
How it unfolded
- Nov 1, 2025Army beat Air Force 20-17 on Cale Hellums' 42-yard pass to Brady Anderson with 24 seconds left and Dawson Jones' 27-yard field goal on the final play — Army's first three-game series streak since 1976-78.
- Oct 3, 2026Air Force beat Navy 14-9 in Colorado Springs in the first game of the 2026 Commander-in-Chief's Trophy series.
- Oct 31, 2026Air Force beat UConn 35-26 to become bowl-eligible; Army lost 49-22 at Memphis.
- Nov 7, 2026Army (5-3) hosts Air Force (6-2) at Michie Stadium at 7:30 p.m. ET on CBS; an Air Force win clinches its first trophy since 2022, while an Army win ties the series 1-1 ahead of the Army-Navy game on Dec. 12.
Key terms
- Commander-in-Chief's Trophy
- Award given each season to the winner of the American college football series among the three U.S. service academies.
- option-based, run-heavy offenses
- An American football offensive system where a key player chooses among options based on the defense, relying mainly on running plays.
- bowl-eligible
- In NCAA Division I FBS college football, the standard that makes a team available for selection to postseason bowl games.
Source: Wikipedia
Who’s saying what
- Coach
- Army head coach Jeff Monken said Army won't change its run-based offense for Air Force: "it's who we are, and so we've got to be who we are."
- Analysts
- Covers likes Air Force to win outright at up to 50%, citing Army's 136th-of-138 adjusted EPA per play on defense.
- Analysts
- CBS Sports picks the Under 44.5, while a YouTube betting preview host picks Army to win and the under at 45.5.
Still unverified
Air Force quarterback Evan Medders is recovering from a turf toe injury and his status is uncertain, though he hasn't been ruled out; CBS Sports says Air Force may start freshman Howard Fisher, who began the year as third stringer.