Navy athletic director Chet Gladchuck said four years ago he could remember fielding dozens of calls a week from colleges looking to add the Midshipmen to their football schedule. Gladchuck said those schools wanted Navy for the pageantry, the brigade of Midshipmen and to secure an easy win.
His phone doesn?t ring nearly as much today. Navy, which went 9-4 this season, is now among the more consistent winners in the nation.
Now, teams are looking to get out of commitments to face Navy. Connecticut recently canceled a four-game series against Navy, according to Gladchuck. The Midshipmen were scheduled to play at Connecticut Nov. 10.
“UConn was looking to go in another direction and we obliged them,” Gladchuck said.
While Navy?s 2007 schedule is not finalized yet, the Annapolis service academy is close to reaching an agreement to play at least a home-and-home series with Bowling Green, Gladchuck said. The Mid-American Conference school will likely host Navy in Ohio in 2007 and travel to Annapolis in 2008.
Also, Gladchuck confirmed that Navy is close to finalizing a deal to return to San Diego and play Poinsettia Bowl should the team become bowl-eligible next season. Navy played in the Poinsettia Bowl in 2005 and defeated Colorado State, 51-30.
The possible Poinsettia agreement would be similar to this season, when Navy signed an agreement over the summer to play in the Meineke Car Care Bowl. Navy sold 22,000 tickets to that bowl game, which they lost to Boston College, 25-24.
Gladchuck said having an agreement like that in place is important to Navy since most bowl games have conference tie-ins. The Mids, who sold 20,000 tickets to the 2005 Poinsettia Bowl, play an independent football schedule.
“We?ve shown over the last five years under coach Paul Johnson that Navy is a team to be reckoned with in college football,” Gladchuck said. “We expect to win every game we play, and teams have a hard time preparing for our triple-option offense. That has made scheduling a little more difficult than when we weren?t winning.”
NAVY NOTES
» Navy routed Connecticut this season, 41-17. In the game, the Mids rushed for 464 yards and compiled 605 yards of total offense.
» Navy?s tentative 2007 schedule includes a number of difficult games, including road games at Rutgers (Sept. 8), Pittsburgh (Oct. 13) and Notre Dame (Nov. 3). Among the home contests are Atlantic Coast Conference champion Wake Forest (Sept. 22) and Air Force (Sept. 29).
