The Navy Midshipmen have added a Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) opponent to their 2028 non-conference slate, which completes their schedule for that season.
Navy is set to kick off the 2028 season against the Holy Cross Crusaders on Saturday, Sept. 2 at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Md. The game will mark the second meeting on the gridiron between the two schools.
In their first and only contest in football, the Midshipmen defeated the Crusaders, 45-7, on Aug. 31, 2019 in Annapolis.
The Midshipmen begin their annual pursuit for the Commander in Chief’s Trophy in 2028 when they travel to Colorado Springs, Co., to battle the Air Force Falcons on Oct. 7. Navy defeated Air Force last season, 34-7, but the Falcons still hold the advantage in the overall series, 34-23.
The Midshipmen’s non-conference schedule continues in 2028 with its annual game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Nov. 18, and the site of the contest will be announced at a later date. Notre Dame leads the series with Navy 83-13-1 and has won the last seven meetings.
Navy’s final non-conference game in 2028 will be the 129th edition of the Army-Navy Game. The annual rivalry game will be played on Dec. 9 at a site to be determined.
Last season, Navy defeated Army 31-13, which ended a two-game losing streak in the series. That victory also clinched the Commander in Chief’s Trophy outright for the Midshipmen.
FOOTBALL SCHEDULES
I hate the fact that Navy has no room on their schedule for any of their longtime rivals (UVA, Pitt, Syracuse, BC, etc.). Their schedule is paint by numbers, eight AAC, Army, Air Force, ND, and FCS. At least Army has room to schedule one traditional or intersectional opponent (Kansas State in 2025).
They should stop playing FCS opponents so that they can play those games.
ND is the reason Navy does not schedule another P4. Army does not have an equivalent rivalry to ND-Navy, hence being able to schedule KSU in 2025.
That’ll never happen. They, along with virtually every team in FBS, will have an FCS on schedule every year. Even more important for them since the Army and ND games are never in Annapolis.
Cupcake games are very important to P4 teams that guarantees a home game generally.