Navy Football’s Stock in American Athletic Conference Title Race Rises

It seems everyone is high on Navy Midshipmen football these days.

The Midshipmen are getting ready to play two games on national television on CBS. Ten of their 12 games are already slotted for a TV channel, with two more on the way. Quarterback Blake Horvath is back and could be a dark horse Heisman Trophy contender.

Now that it is summer, college football analysts are already trying to dissect each team and to determine who will win each conference.

Lindy’s Sports, one of the top college football publications on newsstands, weighed in on the state of the American Athletic Conference with the release of its preview.

Where Did Lindy’s Sports Pick Navy in the AAC?

Lindy’s previewed the entire AAC and ranked the teams from Nos. 1-14. Turns out, Lindy’s is quite high on the Midshipmen, as the publication picked Navy to win the conference.

The magazine had Navy No. 1 overall, meaning the Midshipmen would host the AAC title game in early December against Tulane, which it picked second. Tulane faced Army West Point in the AAC title game last year. Army won the game and won its first conference title in school history.

“The league title stays with a service academy,” Lindy’s wrote in its Navy preview.

Horvath will be a huge key for the Midshipmen. Horvath emerged as the starter last year and put together a year that helped the Midshipmen win the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy.

He rushed for 1,246 yards and 17 touchdowns and throw for 1,353 yards with 13 touchdowns and four interceptions. He threw for the 10th most yards in program history. He also became the third quarterback in Navy history to rush and pass for more than 1,200 yards in the same season.

Navy’s offense is filled with returning starters, including the entire offensive backfield and skill players. The key for the Midshipmen will be the defense, where it lost eight starters from one of the best units in the AAC.

Those losses included safety Rayuan Lane III, who was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars in April.

Navy went 10-3 last season, concluding the campaign with a victory over the Oklahoma Sooners in the Armed Forces Bowl. The season was Navy’s sixth with at least 10 wins and fell one win short of their 11-wins seasons in 2015 and 2019.

2025 Navy Football Schedule

Date, Time, Opponent (TV)

(all times local)

Aug. 30: vs. VMI, 12 p.m., CBSSN

Sept. 6: vs. UAB*, 3:30 p.m., CBSSN

Sept. 13: at Tulsa*, 8 p.m., ESPN+

Sept. 27: vs. Rice*, 3:30 p.m., CBSSN

Oct. 4: vs. Air Force, 12 p.m., CBS

Oct. 11: at Temple*, TBA, TV TBA

Oct. 25: vs. FAU*, 3:30 p.m., CBSSN

Nov. 1: at North Texas*, TBA, TV TBA

Nov. 8: at Notre Dame, 7:30 p.m., NBC

Nov. 15: vs. USF*, 12 p.m., ESPN Family

Nov. 27: at Memphis*, 7:30 p.m., ESPN

Dec. 13: vs. Army West Point, 3 p.m., CBS

(note: Army-Navy game at Baltimore, Md.)

(if Navy qualifies for AAC title game, it will be played Friday, Dec. 5, at site of higher seed)