Air Force got run out of the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy picture last year. On Saturday, November 7, they get their first crack at fixing that.
Bush’s Picks
AFARMY
AFARMY
OverUnder
Best BetArmy
Army looks like the sturdier team on paper heading into this one — a bowl-winning season, a returning rushing leader in Cale Hellums, and an offensive line that's the best unit on either roster. Air Force's own backfield is dangerous with Szarka back, but the defense that got exposed all last season is the bigger swing factor. Back Army to win it outright.
Air Force
+Szarka back healthy after big statistical season
+nation's 3rd-ranked rushing offense returns
+revenge motivation after 2025 Trophy sweep
−4-8 finish, missed a bowl game
−defense allowed 50%+ on 3rd down
−Calhoun facing 3rd straight losing-season threat
Army
+Hellums led all of FBS in rushing yards
+8 returning starters on Joe Moore-winning line
+7-6 finish capped by Fenway Bowl blowout win
−lost depth pieces at CB and RB to portal
−Hellums still just entering year two as starter
−moving into tougher AAC slate this season
This one carries more weight than a typical service-academy tilt. Army and Navy handled Air Force in 2025, forcing a winner-take-all finale between the Black Knights and Midshipmen for the Trophy. The Falcons were on the outside looking in, and this rematch with Army is their first shot at climbing back into that triangle with something to prove.
Army enters as the program on the rise. Cale Hellums took over at quarterback last season and led all of FBS in rushing, and he does it behind an offensive line that won the Joe Moore Award the year before and returns 8 starters overall. Jeff Monken's option attack isn't flashy, but it's efficient, physical, and built to control a game from start to finish.
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AF Air Force
ARMY Army
Air Force isn't without its own centerpiece. Liam Szarka broke through as the first Falcon since 2015 to top 2,000 yards of total offense before a broken arm ended his season in November. He's expected back at full strength, and Troy Calhoun's option system ranked among the nation's best rushing attacks even in a down year. The issue was never scoring the ball — it was stopping anyone else from doing the same.
Air Force Falcons
Oct 31?vs UConn—
Oct 23?@ Wyoming—
Oct 17?vs UNLV—
Oct 10?@ Northern Illinois—
Oct 3?vs Navy—
Sep 25?@ Nevada—
Sep 12?vs North Dakota State—
Sep 5?vs Duquesne—
Army Black Knights
Oct 30?@ Memphis—
Oct 23?@ Tulsa—
Oct 17?vs Florida Atlantic—
Oct 10?vs Tulane—
Oct 2?@ Louisiana Tech—
Sep 25?@ Temple—
Sep 12?vs South Florida—
Sep 5?vs Bryant—
Recent form.
That defensive gap is the whole ballgame for Air Force. The Falcons went 4-8 and missed a bowl for the first time in years, with a unit that let opponents convert over half their third downs. Army, meanwhile, capped a 7-6 season with a lopsided Fenway Bowl win and looks like the more complete roster walking into November. Calhoun has never had 3 straight losing seasons in 20 years at the academy — that streak is quietly on the line here too.
Air Force Falcons
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Army Black Knights
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Injury report — info via ESPN.
Two triple-option offenses means clock control, not track meets, will decide this one. Whoever wins time of possession and avoids the killer turnover usually wins these academy clashes outright. For Air Force, that means leaning on Szarka and hoping the defense has taken a real step; for Army, it means letting Hellums and that veteran line do what they did all last fall.
