ANNAPOLIS, Md.—The Navy football team is picked to finish second behind Tulane by Athlon Sports in its 2025 College Football Preseason Magazine. Navy is coming off a 10-3 campaign in 2024 that saw the Mids beat Air Force and Army to win the Commander-In-Chief's Trophy and defeat Oklahoma in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl.
 
Senior quarterback Blake Horvath, senior snipe Eli Heidenreich and senior nose guard Landon Robinson were all named to the preseason all-conference team by Athlon. 
 
The Mids were projected to play in the Military Bowl in Annapolis against Bill Belichick and the North Carolina Tar Heels by the magazine. 
 
Three Navy games were chosen among the 12 American games to watch: USF at Navy on Nov. 15, Navy at Memphis on Thanksgiving night (11/27) and the annual Army-Navy Game presented by USAA on Dec. 13 in Baltimore.
 
Navy was ranked as the 49^th best team overall. Only Boise State (25^th) and Tulane (48^th) were ranked ahead of Navy among schools not in the Autonomy Four. 
 
Athlon also ranked each position group compared to its conference mates with Navy ranking first at quarterback, second at running back, fourth at defensive line and linebackers, fifth at defensive back and offensive line and 13^th at wide receiver among 14 teams. 
 
Athlon Preseason American Conference Standings

1. Tulane
2. Navy
3. USF
4. UTSA
5. Army
6. Memphis
7. East Carolina
8. North Texas
9. FAU
10. Temple
11. Charlotte
12. UAB
13. Rice
14. Tulsa