College Football continues to struggle to nail down its postseason format. The College Football Playoff initially began with four teams, and expanded to 12 ahead of the 2024 season.
After only two years, further talks of expansion are gaining steam. The most common next step number is 16 teams, but that presents the issue of changing the current format to accommodate the added four teams. One option has been to move the new playoff games up in the calendar, with the second Saturday in December as a popular date.
That day is significant because it is when the annual Army-Navy game is held. With talks swirling about what a CFP expansion would mean for Army-Navy, President Donald Trump has come to the rescue of the historic rivalry game and said he will be signing an executive order to protect the matchup.
Here is more on President Trump signing an executive order to protect the Army-Navy game.
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Donald Trump Army-Navy executive order
The College Football Playoff is not set in stone. There have been two seasons of a 12-team playoff, but each time, there has been controversy over the selections. This has spurred further expansion talks, with the most popular option being 16 teams. More teams would mean more games, which is great, but the NCAA would have to amend the schedule to accommodate them.
President Trump announced that he intends to sign an executive order that will protect the annual Army-Navy game in a standalone four-hour time slot. This would make it so the CFP Committee and NCAA couldn't schedule playoff games on top of the historic rivalry matchup.
About the move, President Trump said, via Truth Social:
"The Army-Navy Game is one of our Greatest American Traditions — Unmatched Patriotism, Courage, and Honor! This incredible Tradition is now at risk of being pushed aside by more College Playoff Games, and Big TV Money. NOT ANYMORE! Under my Administration, the second Saturday in December belongs to Army-Navy, and ONLY Army-Navy! I will soon sign a Historic Executive Order securing an EXCLUSIVE 4 hour Broadcast window, so this National Event stands above Commercial Postseason Games. No other Game of Team can violate this Time Slot!!! On the field, they are rivals, but on the battlefield they are America’s unstoppable Patriots, defending our Country with tremendous Strength and Heart. We must protect the Tradition, and the Players, who protect us. Please let this serve as Notice to ALL Television Networks, Stations, and Outlets. God Bless American, and God Bless our great Army-Navy Game!!! President Donald J. Trump."
To clarify, this executive order would not prevent the NCAA from holding playoff games on the second Saturday in December. It would prevent the NCAA from scheduling another game during the four-hour Army-Navy window. The game between the schools would be standalone, but there could be a game before it or after it.
When is the Army-Navy game?
The Army-Navy game is held on the second Saturday in December. It is usually in a window between conference championship weekend and the start of bowl season. The game usually kicks around 3 p.m. ET. The NCAA could hold a game at noon and at 7 p.m. ET around that time frame and would be within the confines of the proposed executive order.
MORE: Army vs. Navy all-time record, results
Is the College Football Playoff expanding?
Not yet. The CFP expanded to 12 teams ahead of the 2024 season. Even with a small sample size, there is already a strong push for further expansion. The most common number analysts and those in favor of further expansion land on is 16. In that instance, the committee would have to discuss redoing the current structure of the rounds, which is what could cause playoff games to be played earlier, like the same day as Army-Navy.
The CFP committee initially had a deadline of December 1 to make any changes to the playoff format for the 2026 season. They voted to delay that deadline to Friday, January 23. The committee has been discussing two proposed formats: a 16-team and a 24-team, per CBS Sports. A decision on changing the format for 2026 is not expected to come by the deadline as the conferences remain deadlocked on indecision between the two formats.
The SEC, ACC and Big 12 continue to prefer the 16-team format (5+11), with five automatic bids for the highest-ranked conference champions. The Big Ten is pushing for a 24-team format that would have one automatic qualifier and then the remaining 23 teams seeded by the College Football Playoff Rankings.
History of the Army-Navy game
The Army-Navy game is an annual college football game between the Army Black Knights and the Navy Midshipmen of Annapolis. It is both a highly competitive football game and an homage to the United States military. It marks the end of the college football regular season and the beginning of the postseason.
The game has been played uninterrupted since 1930, and Navy currently leads the series 64-55-7. The game was first played on November 29, 1890. Since then, Army and Navy have played each other every year except for 10.
Historically, the game was played on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Now, with the way the college football calendar has changed, it is held on the second Saturday of December, still sandwiched between conference championship games and the start of the postseason.