6/16/2005 - Football
Naval Academy Eligible For BCS Participation
ANNAPOLIS, Md.-The Naval Academy football program, coming off its best season in 99 years, will be eligible for selection to one of the five Bowl Championship Series (BCS) games starting this fall, Naval Academy Director of Athletics Chet Gladchuk announced Thursday. The Naval Academy Athletic Association will also receive a fiscal stipend from the BCS coalition insuring Navy's commitment to participate if selected starting in 2006.
"The Naval Academy has been making a very significant commitment towards the advancement of our football program on a national level. Although we will continue to remain an independent, BCS inclusion presents an opportunity for our program, if selected, to showcase a rich, storied and successful Naval Academy football tradition at the highest level of post season play," said Naval Academy Director of Athletics Chet Gladchuk. "The equation is simple. If we win enough games we are now, without question, eligible under BCS guidelines to be considered as an at-large participant."
The Naval Academy is coming off a remarkable season that saw Navy win 10 games for just the second time in school history and for the first time in 99 years. The Mids also won a bowl game for the first time since 1996, won the Commander-In-Chief's Trophy for the second-consecutive season, finish the year ranked in the Top 25 for the first time since 1978 and had head coach Paul Johnson earn the Bobby Dodd Award as the National Coach of the Year.
Navy would be eligible for a BCS Bowl if ranked in the top 12 in the final BCS standings and won at least nine games. If Navy finishes sixth or higher in the final BCS standings, it would earn a guaranteed slot in one of the BCS games unless more than two teams meet the criteria.
If the Midshipmen crack the top 12, they would no doubt be strong contenders for a BCS Bowl with their recent track record of bringing a large fan base to postseason competition. Two years ago, 25,000 fans followed Navy to Houston to see the Mids take on Texas Tech and last year, more than 18,000 Navy fans purchased tickets to see the Mids defeat New Mexico in the Emerald Bowl.
