Navy Football Season Starts Saturday: See Midshipmen Schedule

Annapolis MD

30 August, 2021

1:07 PM

Description

ANNAPOLIS, MD — NCAA Division I college football begins this weekend. Naval Academy fans are eager to kick off the season. Navy will open Saturday with a home game against the Marshall Thundering Herd. A Sept. 11 tribute game with patriotic uniforms will follow against the Air Force Falcons. The Midshipmen then head to South Bend, Indiana on Nov. 6 to take on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. The regular season concludes Dec. 11 with the annual match-up against the Army Black Knights. The Mids did not earn any votes in the preseason Associated Press or USA Today/Coaches polls. Defending national champion Alabama has the AP poll's No. 1 ranking. The Crimson Tide are followed by Oklahoma, Clemson, Ohio State and Georgia in the top five. The USA Today/Coaches preseason poll has the No. 2 and No. 3 teams switched, with Clemson ranked ahead of Oklahoma there. Alabama, Ohio State and Georgia have the same preseason rank in both polls. College football returns to a more traditional schedule in 2021, a year after the coronavirus forced many cancellations and schedule changes. Last year, most games were limited to conference play. The Big Ten and the Pac-12 started their seasons late. Even Notre Dame, long known as a football independent, joined the Atlantic Coast Conference for one season to keep playing during the pandemic. The Fighting Irish are back as an independent this year. Full Navy Schedule Saturday, Sept. 4: Marshall Thundering Herd (Home at 3:30 p.m.)Saturday, Sept. 11: Air Force Falcons (Home at 3:30 p.m.)Saturday, Sept. 18: Bye weekSaturday, Sept. 25: Houston Cougars (Road at TBA time)Saturday, Oct. 2: UCF Knights (Home at 3:30 p.m.)Saturday, Oct. 9: SMU Mustangs (Home at 3:30 p.m.)Thursday, Oct. 14: Memphis Tigers (Road at 7:30 p.m.)Saturday, Oct. 23: Cincinnati Bearcats (Home at 12 p.m.)Friday, Oct. 29: Tulsa Golden Hurricanes (Road at 7:30 p.m.)Saturday, Nov. 6: Notre Dame Fighting Irish (Road at 3:30 p.m.)Saturday, Nov. 13: Bye weekSaturday, Nov. 20: East Carolina Pirates (Home at 3:30 p.m.)Saturday, Nov. 27: Temple Owls (Road at TBA time)Saturday, Dec. 4: American Athletic Conference Championship Game (Location and time TBA)Saturday, Dec. 11: Army Black Knights (Neutral site of MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey at 3 p.m.) Click here to buy tickets. Subscribe to your local Patch newsletter. Download our mobile application from the App Store or Google Play. RELATED: Navy Football Reveals Special Uniforms For Game On Sept. 11 Have a story idea? Please contact me at [email protected] with any pitches, tips or questions. Follow me on Twitter @JacobBaumgart and on Facebook @JacobBaumgartJournalist to stay up-to-date with the latest Anne Arundel County and Prince George's County news.