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National spotlight has Academy buzzing
Air Force beat Navy 14-6 last year, snapping a seven-game losing streak to the Midshipmen and reclaiming the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy. Navy has thought about that loss for a full year, and gets its chance at revenge when it faces the Falcons at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium at 10 a.m. Saturday.
The game, broadcast on CBS, pits a couple of 2-1 teams against each other. Air Force's only loss was to TCU, and Navy came up just short against South Carolina. From 2003-2009, every game, except one, in this series was decided by less than a touchdown.
Join The Gazette's David Ramsey and Frank Schwab for a chat during the game. They'll also be on Twitter @GazetteAirForce and @davidramz - use the hashtag #afanavy.
For some reason, in the age of iPad, Hulu.com and satellite television packages with hundreds of channels, major network television still resonates in college football.
Air Force’s game at Navy on Saturday will be on CBS. The Falcons follow that up with a game on NBC at Notre Dame next week. Being on network television has been a huge deal for the Falcons’ football program, especially in recruiting.
“There’s no doubt,” Air Force coach Troy Calhoun said. “There’s interest from current (recruits) you have some rapport with, and then some additional guys that it creates some interest for them.”
The Falcons appeared on NBC in 2007, when they played Notre Dame. That is the only game Air Force played on traditional network television in Calhoun’s first four seasons.
One major perk Air Force feels it has gotten out of its bowl game each of the past four years is the television time on ESPN. And although it doesn’t make sense logically – a game on ESPN is going to look pretty much the same as a game on any other network, or even a DVD of that game – it does matter to high school kids to see Air Force on major national TV. Receiver Jonathan Warzeka remembers seeing Air Force play Cal in the 2007 Armed Forces Bowl on ESPN, and that was a factor in him choosing to be a Falcon.
“It definitely did, to see Air Force could compete with a BCS conference team and hang in there,” Warzeka said. “It was definitely one of the reasons I came.”
Air Force and Navy have a pretty juicy time slot Saturday, the first game of a triple-header that includes marquee SEC battles Auburn-South Carolina and Alabama-Florida. CBS executive vice president of programming Mike Aresco said he understood how much each service academy benefits from being on his network this week, but the game isn’t a charity case. CBS figures on a good game between the teams.
From 2003-2009, all but one game in the series was decided by less than a touchdown. And last year’s game was 14-6, Air Force.
“For a network, you need a compelling game. It’s not enough to just put it on,” Aresco said. “This game has real appeal. It has been an extremely competitive rivalry with close games, and there’s a lot at stake.”
The game came to be on CBS because the network had an empty slot, has a relationship with Navy because of its annual Army-Navy broadcast, among others, and a relationship with the Mountain West and Air Force through the conference’s contract with CBS Sports Network. Aresco said CBS enjoys its relationship with Army and Navy and wanted to do something with Air Force too.
CBS approached Navy this summer about the idea of broadcasting Saturday’s game to the network at noon Eastern time. Navy asked Air Force if it had any objections, which it obviously didn’t. For both schools, the three hours they’ll spend on television Saturday will be extremely valuable.
“There’s no recruiting tool out there that you can afford that gives you this exposure,” Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo said.
Air Force secondary coach Charlton Warren, who is the recruiting coordinator, said the Falcons’ staff let every player they’re recruiting know that Air Force would be on CBS this week. And next week, they’ll remind those same players Air Force will be on NBC.
“It is all about what the school stands for, what we stand for as coaches and players, and our relationship with them through the process,” Warren said about recruiting. “But, out of sight, out of mind. If they can see you, when they can also see the other schools that are recruiting them, that’s big.”
NETWORK NEWS
Air Force will be on traditional network TV this weekend when it plays Navy on CBS. Here’s a list of the Falcons’ appearances on the major networks — ABC, NBC and CBS – over the past 15 years:
Oct. 19, 1996 – at Notre Dame (NBC), Air Force won 20-17
Oct. 10, 1998 – vs. Navy (ABC), Air Force won 49-7
Sept. 18, 1999 – at Washington (ABC), Air Force won 31-21
Oct. 9, 1999 – at Navy (ABC), Air Force won 19-14
Sept. 23, 2000 – at Utah (ABC Regional), Air Force won 23-14
Sept. 30, 2000 – vs. UNLV (ABC Regional), Air Force lost 34-13
Oct. 29, 2000 – at Notre Dame (NBC), Air Force lost 34-31 OT
Sept. 1, 2001 – vs. Oklahoma (ABC Regional), Air Force lost 44-3
Aug. 31, 2002 – vs. Northwestern (ABC Regional), Air Force won 52-3
Nov. 10, 2007 - at Notre Dame (NBC), Air Force won 41-24
Source: Air Force football media guide
