When it comes right down to it, Army and Navy, which meet on the football field tomorrow for the 103rd time, are more alike than they are different.
Each school has a storied academic and athletic tradition, and each school prides itself on upholding honor and integrity, even in the win-at-all-costs environment of big-time college football.
Army, however, earned its 1-10 record as a member of Conference USA, while Navy has gone 1-10 this season as one of college football's few independents, playing the likes of Notre Dame, Boston College and North Carolina State.
For more than 100 years, Army and Navy were both independents, but that changed in 1998, when Army decided to become a member of Conference USA, which is made up of Louisville, Southern Mississippi, Texas Christian and East Carolina, among others.
So why hasn't Navy gone a similar route? And could the Midshipmen benefit by following in Army's footsteps, either to Conference USA or elsewhere? Navy athletic director Chet Gladchuk doesn't think so. In fact, he says Navy has no plans to join a conference, especially one that might do Navy more harm than good.
"There is no doubt that being a part of a conference that's tied to the [Bowl Championship Series] can be very lucrative," Gladchuk said. "But when you start talking about non-BCS conferences, that's not the case.
"Everyone sees bowl games as the golden ring, but in reality, non-BCS bowl games are very expensive to attend. The payout often isn't big, and it's usually tied into ticket sales. That's great if you can drum up interest and sell tickets to your fans, but a lot of the time it ends up costing the school money to go to those events."
Gladchuk pointed out that a league like Conference USA doesn't get a share of the $98.4 million in television revenue from the BCS, and that it's clear from a competitive standpoint, Navy isn't ready to join the Big East or Atlantic Coast Conference even if it were invited.
Another problem Gladchuk sees with joining a lesser conference is the widely recognized disadvantage Army faces in recruiting against schools like Cincinnati, Memphis and East Carolina. While those schools can make exceptions in the admissions process for athletes, Army and Navy cannot. Every football player must have the same academic qualifications as the rest of the student body.
