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Navy-Tulane is the biggest game of the AAC regular season. A spot in the AAC Championship Game is likely on the line. A loss effectively eliminates the loser from College Football Playoff contention.
Despite being one of the AAC’s oldest and most-played series, with 25 meetings dating back to 1949, the stakes have hardly ever been this high. When Tulane takes the field against Navy as the AP Poll’s #25 team, it will only be the third time ever and the first time since 1958 that this series features a ranked team.
Wins over Cornell and William & Mary to start the 1956 season gave Navy the #14 spot in the poll entering their October 16 clash with Tulane. The Green Wave split games against Virginia Tech and Texas.
On October 13th, Tulane pulled a 21-6 upset over Navy thanks to two touchdown passes by quarterback Gene Newton and 300 total rushing yards. The win landed Tulane the #19 spot in the AP Poll, where they stayed for two weeks. A 40-0 loss to Georgia Tech caused their exit.
Both teams had respectable seasons. Tulane finished 6-4, while Navy finished 6-1-2 and was #16 in the final AP Poll. However, neither school made a bowl.
Fresh off a 9-1-1 record and a win over Rice in the Cotton Bowl in the 1957 season, Navy entered the 1958 season as the #12 team in the AP Poll. Three straight wins to start the season, including a win over #14 Michigan vaulted the Midshipmen to #6 in the poll.
Like 1956, Tulane spoiled an outstanding start to the season by Navy. Despite starting 0-4, the Green Wave upset Navy 14-6 in the Oyster Bowl at Norfolk’s Foreman Field on October 18th. Future NFL veteran Richie Petitbon ran for 88 yards and Tulane’s only two touchdowns. The Green Wave outgained Navy 214-79 on the ground.
The loss dropped Navy to #18 in the AP Poll. After a win over Pennsylvania, a loss to Notre Dame pushed them out of the poll for the rest of the year. Navy finished the season 6-3, while Tulane finished 3-7, making this win the high mark of a down year.
Tulane and Navy played during both programs’ greatest seasons in recent memory. Yet, there have been no meetings featuring a ranked team since 1958. They either played too early in the season, like in Tulane’s 1998 undefeated season and Navy’s New Year’s Six pushes in 2015 and 2016, or right after a loss, like in Navy’s 2019 11-2 season. This week’s game adds a rare and historic chapter to one of the AAC’s most fabled series.
