Army plays Navy this Saturday in Annapolis, Maryland, in a rivalry game to beat all rivalry games, and there’s even more than bragging rights at stake.

Playoffs

D1A rankings matter and right now both Army and Navy are high enough in the poll to get a spot in the playoffs. However, what those seeds will be, and who those teams will play, depends on this game. A bad loss by either the Black Knights or Midshipmen could drop that team down pretty far. 

Currently, both teams are basically holding steady. Navy moved up to No. 6 in the official D1A Top 20 this week, while Army dropped from No. 9 to No. 10.

The Commander-In-Chief's Trophy

Every year the military academies play in a round robin for the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy—and the race can be tight. One year, they all went 1-1. This year, both Navy (46-7) and Army (66-7) have beaten Air Force, meaning this game will decide the winner of the annual trophy. 

READ MORE: Beating Army No. 1 Priority For Navy Star McNerney

A Winning (or Losing) Streak

Army beat Navy 24-18 a year ago, coming back from an 18-7 deficit thanks in part to two Bailey Abercrombie tries. That also won the C-in-C Trophy for the Black Knights.

The year before, Army ran out 27-22 thanks to three tries from Jake Lachina. The Black Knights had lost to Air Force 31-25, but Navy had beaten Air Force 28-0, meaning the Midshipmen won the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy with a plus-23 points difference.

And in 2014-15, Army swept both teams, beating Air Force 19-17 and Navy 41-24.

So clearly the Midshipmen are looking for a chance to break that run. 

And… The Rivalry

‘There is so much at stake,” Army head coach Matt Sherman said. “It’s THE game for fans and the players. We know it’s going to be close, and we know it’s going to be physical and we know it’s going to be emotional.” 

The Black Knights have shown signs of improvement this spring in recent wins over Cal Maritime and Claremont Colleges and a close loss to current No. 3 Cal.

“We want to play at velocity, with aggression, and with precision,” Sherman said. “I think we tick two of those boxes but our skills have let us down at times.”

The Army-Navy game itself will, as always, be a special event, with several prominent people in attendance. But in the end, it’s about the game and the players.

“People have asked me why this game matters so much," Sherman said, "and I think the rivalry is so heated because these guys are going to be relying on each other for much more important things in the future.”