It was only a matter of time before Navy made its presence felt in The American.
The Midshipmen (7-1) barged their way into the Associated Press top 25 this week for the first time since 2004, landing at No. 22 in the AP and No. 23 in the USA Today coaches' poll after they cruised by nationally ranked conference rival Memphis, 45-20, last Saturday before a crowd of 55,212 at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium.
The impressive road victory made a powerful statement to the voters, who had only given the Midshipmen one vote the week before.
Navy is another good American Athletic Conference football team that is no longer under the radar.
It's hard to ignore a team that unleashed powerhouse fullback Chris Swain for 108 yards rushing and three touchdowns on 18 carries, used its sophisticated triple-option to pile up 374 rushing yards and forced three turnovers to end the Tigers' 15-game winning streak.
Navy on the other hand, is 5-0 in the American Athletic Conference West Division and suddenly has a shot to win the division if the Midshipmen can defeat SMU at home and survive back-to-back road games at Tulsa and Houston.
This is Navy’s best start in over a decade. Coach Ken Niumatalolo has won 13 of his last 15 games, with his team's only losses coming to perennial rival Notre Dame. The win against Memphis was Navy’s first against a ranked opponent since 2009, when it upset then-No. 19 Notre Dame, 23-21. The Midshipmen defeated a top-15 opponent for the first time since stunning No. 2 South Carolina, 38-21, in 1984.
Navy is one of four teams from The American in the AP and coaches' polls. Houston (9-0), one of just six unbeaten teams in the FBS, is ranked No. 16 in both polls. Temple (8-1) is ranked No. 21 in both. Memphis (8-1), which had soared as high as No. 13 in the first week of the College Football Playoff selection committee rankings, remained in the national polls at No. 25.
The American has as many ranked teams as the SEC and Big 12 in this week's polls. For the first time ever, Temple is the best team in Pennsylvania. Navy is the best team in Maryland. Memphis is the best team in Tennessee and Houston is one of the best three teams in the loaded state of Texas.
R- E-S-P-E-C-T.
“There are a lot of good teams in our conference,” Niumatalolo said. “It's exciting, but also challenging. But that bodes well for our conference, a conference that’s trying to make its mark on the national scene, gain some credibility as an upstart conference. The only way we had to do that was to win on the field and it's really cool to see four teams in the top 25.”
The American may be only three years old, but its members have proven records of success in football. Assuming that Navy sees itself on Tuesday’s update of the College Football Playoff committee rankings,10 of The American’s 12 teams will have been ranked by either the Bowl Championship Series or CFP since 2008. Its teams have been competitive on the field against schools from the brand-name conferences and merit more consideration when the selection committee votes every week. Temple and Memphis may be recent surprises, but schools like Houston, SMU, Tulane, Navy and Tulsa have longstanding tradition.
The addition of Navy to the league has been a huge success. The Mids, who have always been one of the class acts in college football, had always been an independent before joining the league this season.
“Every week is important if you're an independent,” said Niumatalolo, “but when you're in a conference there's an added dimension because every conference game determines whether you get to play for a league championship.”
The winner of the Dec. 5 American Athletic Conference Football Championship figures to be well-positioned for a spot in a New Year’s Bowl. Official pairings are set to be announced Dec. 6, but in the case of Navy, College Football Playoff Executive Director Bill Hancock has said the committee could wait until after the Dec. 12 Army-Navy game is played before filling the final slot, if that game would have a bearing on the final selections.
Navy's offense makes the Midshipmen a difficult team to keep out of the end zone.
One of Navy's greatest strengths has been quarterback Keenan Reynolds, who has 77 rushing touchdowns and is just one away from setting the NCAA career record. Reynolds showed he was more than just an option-style runner against Memphis, a school that recruited him out of Antioch High outside Nashville as a wide receiver.
Reynolds can make plays through the air when necessary.
After Memphis pulled even at 17-17 in the third quarter, Reynolds connected with DeBrandon Sanders for a 75-yard touchdown on the first play after the ensuing kickoff as the Tiger defense was sneaking up to protect against the Midshipmen's potent rushing attack.
“It's not that Keenan can't throw the football,” Niumatalolo said. “It's just the way we choose to play, to be successful and to win and compete. Keenan actually came here as a shotgun quarterback, and we've turned into a triple option quarterback. We know he can throw the football, and that's a part of the game we make sure we stay on point with because we can't allow everybody to crowd the line of scrimmage.”
Niumatalolo tried to give Reynolds, playing his first college game in his home state, a chance to set the NCAA record late in a game that was all but decided. But Reynolds passed on a Sports Center moment when he checked out of a quarterback sneak after seeing nine defenders crowding the line of scrimmage, instead pitching to slotback Demond Brown for a 1-yard touchdown to cap the scoring.
“We were trying to give the ball to Keenan there at the end, get him the record at home, or I was trying to,” Niumatalolo told the Washington Post. “Let the kid get this record at home. He’s got so many family [members] and friends in his home state, but he got us into a better play.
“That just shows you the type of kid he is, the leader he is. It was just about the ‘W.’ It wasn’t about the record.”