Can Army Make 12-Team College Football Playoff This Season?

For many years the College Football Playoff was limited to the top-four teams in the country.

Last season, a new format was implemented which gives 12 teams the chance to battle it out for the national championship, including Group of 5 schools like Army.

The new bracket formats puts the conference champions of the best conferences in the top-five slots. Typically, this means the Big 12, SEC, Big 10 and ACC, with Nos. 1-4 getting a first-round bye.

The final seven slots are voted in from the committee.

They will be the next seven-best teams in the country regardless of which conference they come from, and that is where Army has a chance.

More News: Why Army's Jeff Monken Was Named 'Safest College Football Coach'

The Black Knights have a solid group returning for 2025, but perhaps the most impactful person in this program is their head coach, Jeff Monken.

In the midst of a tremendous tenure, he led Army to a couple of program firsts last season.

By the end of the year, the Knights had posted their first 12-win season ever. They were also able to take home their first conference title ever during their debut campaign in the American Athletic Conference.

More News: Army Aims for Upset As They Gear Up To Face Big 12 Contender Kansas State

The AAC has become one of the best Group of 5 conferences in recent years, so if the Black Knights can win this conference again while winning their notable out of conference game against Kansas State, they will have a fighting chance to get into the CFP.

Last season, they took two losses that made it impossible for the committee to put them in the playoff, getting drubbed by Notre Dame and then losing to Navy after winning the AAC title game.

This year, they will have the chance to redeem themselves against a top program like Kansas State, and if they are able to win that game and take care of business the rest of the way like they did in 2024, then they are going to make it tough on the committee to keep them out.

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