Navy athletic director Chet Gladchuck said the Midshipmen?s football schedule is designed where one-third of the games are even matchups, one-third would give Navy underdog status and the other third would be games in which Navy is favored.
While that might be the approach, Navy has not faced much competition in the last month. The combined record of the Midshipmen?s final four opponents ? Duke, Eastern Michigan, Temple and Army ? is 5-36, including Temple (1-10), which visits Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium Saturday. Navy ends the regular season against Army (3-7) Dec. 2 at Lincoln Financial Stadium in Philadelphia.
However, Navy?s overall schedule is quite competitive. The Mids? opponents for the year have posted a combined 44-44 record, including a 25-4 combined mark from Tulsa, Rutgers and Notre Dame, the three teams to beat Navy this season.
Also, Notre Dame and Rutgers are both in contention for the national championship, ranked fifth and sixth, respectively, in the most recent Bowl Championship Series ratings. And East Carolina, which Navy defeated, 28-23, is leading Conference USA?s East Division, while Tulsa is second in the league?s West Division.
“Everybody talks about our schedule and we should play a tougher schedule, but we?ve played two teams that are in the Top 10, East Carolina is winning Conference USA, UMass won the Atlantic 10 and Tulsa is second in Conference USA,” Navy coach Paul Johnson said. “People are crazy if they don?t think that?s a tough schedule.”
Johnson said Navy?s schedule is perfect for the type of players that come to the academy, almost all of which are far smaller than those who play for BCS conference teams.
While he always wants challenging games, Johnson does not expect to pack the schedule with top-25 caliber teams like Navy did in the late 1990s and earlier this decade when teams like Boston College, Georgia Tech, West Virginia and N.C. State were on the slate.
“Who do they want us to play?” Johnson said. “People say we used to play Michigan and Penn State, and my question to that is, ?Did you beat them?? What good is it to play them if you don?t beat them? I don?t know what our strength of schedule is right now, but if you looked, it would be pretty good.”
