Navy will look to continue one of the nation’s longest winning streaks and take a step towards winning the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy for the second year in a row Saturday as it hosts Air Force. The Midshipmen are once again off to a 4-0 start, while Air Force is stumbling a bit amidst another 1-3 record through the first four games of the year.
It’s been over a decade since Navy last won back-to-back Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy, which is the ultimate expression of service academy dominance, and it’s won just five trophies since the start of the 2010s. Air Force, meanwhile, hasn’t won the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy since 2022, and it has claimed the prize just twice over the last nine years.
Saturday’s showdown is the first of three in the race for the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy, all of which will be televised by CBS. Army hosts Air Force on Nov. 1 in the second leg before the all-important Army vs. Navy game on Dec. 13.
While Navy is the only service academy program with a winning record thus far, the race for service academy superiority is almost always tight. As that scramble gets underway, here are some things to know about the quest for the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy.
Where to watch Navy vs. Air Force live
Date: Saturday, Oct. 4 | Time: Noon ET
Location: Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium — Annapolis, Maryland
TV: CBS | Live stream: CBSSports.com, CBS Sports App
Streaming on Paramount+ Premium (Try It Free)
Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy history
The Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy was established for the 1972 season, and all three programs have enjoyed runs of success in the series. Air Force leads the way with 21 trophies, followed by Navy with 17 and Army with 10. However, the Black Knights have won or retained the trophy in five of the past seven seasons.
Navy’s golden era came between 2003-09 when the Midshipmen won seven straight Commander-in-Chief’s Trophies. Air Force also won it five times in a seven-year span between 2010-16 after dominating the series in the 1990s and early 2000s. The winning team typically visits the White House, where the president presents the the trophy, which is engraved with each of the academy’s seals.
History on Navy’s side … with a win
There are quite a few parallels between Navy beating Air Force and Navy winning the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy. Perhaps it’s because the Midshipmen get an early head start on the competition by getting a victory in the books.
But Navy has won the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy in 12 of the last 13 seasons that it has beaten Air Force. The Midshipmen are also going for consecutive wins against the Falcons for the first time since 2012-13, which is is the last time that it won back-to-back Commander-in-Chief’s trophies. Momentum is certainly on Navy’s side to get it done.
The Midshipmen have won seven games in a row dating back to the 2024 season, tied for the fourth-longest active streak in the FBS and their longest as a program in a decade. Navy also started 4-0 in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 1978-79.
Navy has an explosive offense to thank for its success thus far. Led by dynamic quarterback Blake Horvath, who is also comfortable passing the ball, the Midshipmen lead the nation with 352.3 yards rushing per game. They’re also going for 455-plus total yards of offense in a fifth straight game for the first time in program history.
Air Force trying to turn things around
Air Force won 29 games from 2021-23 and the 2022 Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy, but the Falcons haven’t had a winning season since. They started the 2024 campaign off with an abysmal 1-7 record before turning things around with four straight wins over their final four regular season games. That late-season surge did not carry over into the 2025 campaign.
Air Force has its back against the wall once again with a 1-3 start to the year. Its only win thus far came in the season opener against FCS Bucknell. Dating back to the start of the 2024 season, Air Force is 4-10 against FBS competition.
While the Falcons were plagued by offensive issues last season, they got their offense fixed entering 2025 … just in time for the defense to plummet off a cliff. Air Force is the only FBS team averaging and allowing 37-plus points per game this season. All three of Air Force’s FBS opponents have scored at least 40 points.
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