Time has come to give undefeated Army respect it deserves

If you float far enough west on the Hudson River, you’ll come across the serene setting of West Point, New York, located about an hour and a half north of New York City. 

West Point is home to the United States Military Academy and in turn, the home of the Army Black Knights football program. The calming landscape of upstate New York envelopes Michie Stadium — the home of Army football — and so far, has hidden the potential of America’s most intriguing team.

As the SEC powerhouses of Georgia and Alabama ready for their showdown on Saturday, Army will go into Week 5 of the 2024 college football season as the nation’s unsung power — an ironic distinction for “America’s Team.”

The Black Knights boast a 4-0 record through their first four contests of 2024 and have outscored their opponents by a combined mark of 145-42. A 42-14 beatdown of Temple in Philadelphia on Thursday pushed the Black Knights closer to the spotlight — and closer to a potential College Football Playoff bid. 

Of course, eight regular-season games remain before talk of any postseason festivities can be seriously had, but if Army can get through the likes of Tulsa, UAB, East Carolina, Air Force and North Texas, a program-defining game against No. 16 Notre Dame awaits. 

There’s a good reason why the West Point faithful have confidence that this team could be the first Army team — and first service academy — to earn a spot in the College Football Playoff. 

Consecutive 6-6 seasons for Army in 2022 and 2023 were the result of the Black Knights playing down to competition and being unable to finish games — a trait that’s been wholly abolished by this Army squad. 

Closing out games is made a much easier task when your opponents have already started the buses, with Army constantly keeping its foot on its opponents’ necks. They haven’t played down to competition, either, taking care of inferior opponents. Most importantly? They’ve defended their home field, dispatching of Lehigh and Army in front of the Black Knights faithful. 

With both intangible and tangible issues cleaned up, Army has the potential to make some serious noise as the season goes on. The Black Knights’ true path to the playoff begins with a trip to Tulsa on Oct. 5, with a return to West Point against UAB slated for Oct. 12. 

If Army continues to stack numerals in the win column, the nation will have no choice but to take notice of a team that will no longer be hidden by its remote location.